Part of the Pack
by Princess Aziza
Summary: She was supposed to be the smart one, the one who kept them out of trouble. So why did she let Scott and Stiles talk her into going out in the middle of the night to look for a body? Now, she has to figure out how to help Scott manage and hide his new werewolf identity and figure out who the Alpha is before he kills someone else. At least Derek Hale's around to help her.
1. Midnight Stroll

**So, recently I got into Teen Wolf. Yeah, I know. Bad idea. But then I started reading all these Derek/OC fics, and I felt the need to try my hand at one. A lot of Derek/OC fics have Scott's or Stiles's sister or a best friend who's in their grade falling in love with Derek the moment they meet, or at least falling in lust with him. I'm trying a different take on things. Not that I don't love those (Nothing Like My Novels by tracylay and Love on a Full Moon by RealHuntress18 come to mind), I just thought I'd try something new. **

**Heads up: This story isn't going to have Crystal (the OC) falling in love with Derek in three chapters, or even in the first season. I have something much more interesting planned. **

**Everybody got it? Cool. Disclaimer as usual, and I'm going to let you start reading now.**

* * *

_Smoke filled the bathroom as Crystal shoved open the door with one arm, the other supporting her friend. She kicked the door shut behind her and helped her friend sit against the wall. Cora started wheezing. Crystal frantically searched the small room, trying to find something that would help. Thick blue towels hanging on the rack were soaked in water and stuffed underneath the door. Cora leaned over the trashcan and her body heaved. Crystal grimaced but rubbed the younger girl's shoulders gently. With her heart pounding in her ears, she was mostly able to block out the horrific screams of the others. Her friends was dying, her family, and she was stuck in a bathroom. Crystal took off her brand new jacket and wrapped it around the other girl's mouth and nose like a bandana, deciding to use her own shirt to block out the smoke. _

_A mournful, heart wrenching, agonized howl filled the air. Crystal's heart stopped. She knew who that sound belonged to, but never before had she heard it filled with so much pain._

When Crystal Braddock finally woke up, her vision was blurry. She pulled herself into a sitting position with her arms wrapped around her legs. Her face rested on her knees. She looked out the window and saw the waxing gibbous moon shining in the air. The full moon was this week. Crystal shook her head. It didn't matter anymore.

Something thumped outside. Crystal froze, wondering if it was Scott McCall. But no, Scott wouldn't be sneaking around outside his own house. She stealthily moved next to her window, years of practice keeping her from making much noise. A blue Jeep sat in the driveway. Crystal sighed in relief. It was only Stiles Stilinski. But what was her foster brother's best friend doing out here at midnight?

She slipped on her flats and headed for the stairs. Scott was at the door already with a baseball bat. Crystal smirked, debating on whether or not to tell Scott that she knew who it was. She threw the idea out the window. She needed some entertainment tonight. She tiptoed down the stairs, glad Scott had left the door open. This allowed her to hear Scott and Stiles's girly screams.

"Stiles!" Scott finally cried. "What are you doing here?"

"You weren't answering your phone," Stiles said, as if it were a perfectly reasonable explanation for sneaking around someone's house in the middle of the night. Crystal opened the door wider. Stiles was hanging by his legs upside down. How did he even get there, and what was holding him up?

"My dad got a call. Two joggers found a body."

Crystal raised her eyebrows. A body in the middle of the woods, in Beacon Hills? Yeah, she could see why Stiles would rush over to tell Scott. Rarely did anything important happen in Beacon Hills.

Stiles finally noticed her. "Hey, Crystal." He waved and dropped to the ground, landing on his stomach. He rose. "You hear?"

"I heard."

Scott lowered the bat, processing what Stiles had told him. "A dead body?"

Stiles rolled his eyes while Crystal wondered how her friend had ever made it to high school. "No, a body of water," Stiles said sarcastically. "Yes, dumbass, a dead body!"

"Like murdered?" Scott continued.

Stiles shrugged. "No one knows. They just said a girl maybe in her twenties. Dad's got all of Beacon Hills PD and even State Troopers out there."

Crystal frowned. "What for? Surely your dad can handle one body?"

Stiles grinned. "That's the best part. They only found _half_." Crystal and Scott gaped. "Wanna help me look?"

Crystal blinked. Something was seriously wrong with Stiles. There was something wrong with Scott, too, since it didn't take long for Stiles to sway him. Scott might have been reluctant, but he agreed in the end. They both looked at her.

"Oh, no. You're not dragging me into your stupid schemes. I'm supposed to make sure you stay _out_ of trouble."

"Which is exactly why you need to come," Stiles argued. "Just think of everything that could go wrong without you."

"And it would serve you right, you moron." Crystal made the mistake of glancing over at Scott. He was biting his lip and silently pleading her with his eyes. "No." Stiles went to stand right next to Scott, pouting slightly. "No!"

* * *

"How did I let myself get dragged into this?" Crystal sighed. She was nineteen years old, for crying out loud. She should know better than to let the boys drag her out in the middle of the night so they could look for half a dead body. If they got caught, she would probably be in more trouble than they would.

"Because you love us," Stiles suggested.

Crystal rolled her eyes. "If we get caught, I will make your life a living hell." She fell back, barely paying attention to Stiles and Scott as they talked about lacrosse.

"Just out of curiosity," she heard Scott ask. "Which half of the body are we looking for?"

"Huh. Didn't think of that."

Crystal groaned and rushed to catch up with them, getting leaves and twigs in her flats. She really should have changed shoes. "And if whoever or whatever killed her is still out here?"

Stiles laughed nervously. "Didn't think of that, either."

"You have _got _to be _kidding me_," Crystal nearly screeched. Stiles motioned at her to be quiet.

"Nice to know you planned this with your usual attention to detail," Scott panted. They started up a hill, and Scott began to fall behind. Stiles didn't even notice. Crystal waited for Scott to take a breath from his inhaler before taking off after Stiles. Just as she got over the hill, she saw flashlights and heard dogs barking. Immediately she dropped next to Stiles, pulling Scott down with them when he reached them. Stiles pointed the flashlight into the ground. The police seemed to have found something; at least, they were all heading in the same direction. Stiles got the brilliant idea to head straight for them, probably thinking that if he stayed far enough away then he wouldn't get caught. Scott took off after him. Crystal groaned but followed, picking up the abandoned flashlight and turning it off. The last thing she needed was the sheriff finding her. She kept a safe distance, able to hear but not right behind the two teenagers.

"Stiles!" she heard Scott call. Suddenly, a dog barked and somebody crashed to the ground. Stiles really didn't know the meaning of the word stealthy. Crystal pushed herself against a tree trunk and wondered which would be worse; being found by the cops or staying out here. She strained her ears to hear what was going on.

"This delinquent belongs to me," Sheriff Stilinski sighed. "Do you listen to all my calls?"

"Only the interesting ones," Stiles replied innocently.

"Where is he?"

"Who?"

"Scott. I assume you dragged him out here with you?"

_You know what happens when you assume,_ Crystal thought irreverently.

"Nope. No, Scott's not here. He wanted to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow, and Crystal hates when we drag her with us."

Crystal pursed her lips. The sheriff hadn't even mentioned her; Stiles really needed to learn to keep his mouth shut. She could practically _see_ John Stilinski roll his eyes in exasperation.

"Crystal? Scott?" Crystal pressed her back against the bark; she was not going to get in trouble for Stiles, she was _not_ going to get in trouble for Stiles, she was _not going to get in trouble for Stiles_….

Neither Scott nor Crystal moved, and the sheriff wound up dragging Stiles back to his Jeep. A few minutes later, Scott coughed close by. Crystal stepped out from behind the tree right in front of him, causing him to jump and cry out.

"Shut up!" she hissed. Scott glared lightly at her, which fazed her not at all. "Come on. We've got to walk home now."

Crystal headed in the direction of the road, doubting much had changed in the past six years. She used to love these woods; she would play hide and seek in them almost every day. She didn't realize until much later that her friends only let her find them when they got bored of hiding or when they wanted to scare her. Crystal shoved the memories aside as something moved in the woods. She turned around, clicking on the flashlight.

"Scott?" she whispered. Something growled, sending a shiver up her spine. That sound was familiar, but that wasn't possible. There were no wolves, either ordinary or were, in these woods anymore. There hadn't been for a long time.

"Here," Scott replied. He was standing about ten feet away. Suddenly, a herd of deer burst out of the trees, heading straight for Scott. Crystal could only watch in horror and hope her foster brother didn't wind up a pancake. The stampede ended quickly and she rushed over to make sure Scott was all right.

"I'm fine," Scott told her. "I dropped my inhaler, though."

Crystal huffed in relief and irritation. "All right, we'll split up. The stupid thing couldn't have gotten too far." She took the flashlight and headed in one direction, while Scott headed in another. Soon there was a yell and the sound of leaves crunching. Crystal spun toward the sound, shining her light on Scott as he rolled to the ground not far below her. He looked up at her, terrified. She slid down the hill and landed next to him.

"What?"

"I—I found—" Scott couldn't even finish the sentence, because Crystal heard the growl again. Scott heard it, too. They faced the sound and saw a giant black…Crystal could only say it resembled something out of a horror movie. From what she could see, it wasn't ugly, but it was big and hairy and had huge teeth and walked on all fours and _those eyes_.

She hadn't seen blood red eyes for six years.

"Scott," she breathed, racking her brain. "Don't run. If you run, it—"

The werewolf didn't even wait for them to try; it immediately rushed her. She fell back, but it broadsided her, sending her flying through the air. The leaves mostly broke her fall, thankfully, and she rolled over, coming face to face with a familiar stump. Scott screamed again, this time in pain. Crystal staggered up, trying to catch her breath. Damn, that wolf hit hard. She knew that things could have been a lot worse, and had a strong suspicion that the werewolf had actually gone easy on her.

"Crystal?" Scott called shakily. She had lost the flashlight, but she could see well enough in the moonlight. She went over and took Scott's hand gently.

"Come on. We have to get out of here."

They hurried through the woods and suddenly they hit the road. An SUV swerved around them, causing them both to flinch back. When they were alone again, Crystal watched Scott pull up his shirt and look at something. Crystal moved to get a closer look and bit her lip. If she was right and Scott had been bitten by a werewolf, then she would have to rely on her limited knowledge and Google to help him. She really hoped she was wrong.

A wolf howled.

* * *

The next morning Crystal pulled into the school parking lot next to Jackson Whittemore. Scott dove out of the car, intent on finding Stiles. He nearly ran into Jackson. The jock snapped at him and purposefully knocked into Scott with his shoulder.

"It's not even eight o' clock. I can't deal with this," she sighed, twisting a tawny curl around her finger. She loved her curls. They weren't super tight, but they weren't completely loose either. Laura once told her that her curls were called Botticelli curls. She collected her backpack and was halfway up the sidewalk when Stiles called her name. She saw him and Scott standing near the stairs and went to join them.

"Crystal, are there wolves in California?" Stiles asked.

Crystal shrugged uncomfortably. "Wolves haven't been in California for over fifty years." She slightly stressed the word _wolves_, but she doubted the boys noticed.

"But I heard a wolf last night," Scott insisted. He turned to her. "You heard it, didn't you?"

"I don't know, Scott," Crystal said.

"But—"

"I _don't know_, Scott!" she snapped. Scott and Stiles shrunk back. Crystal rarely got angry. Upset, frequently. Annoyed, several times a day. But when someone crossed a line or pushed her over the edge, Crystal got downright vicious. The boys realized they were pushing her dangerously close to the edge, so Scott hurriedly changed the subject.

"All right, Stiles. Guess you won't believe me about the body."

Stiles gaped. "Dude! You found it?"

"So that's what you were freaking out about," Crystal said, and the two sophomores were pleased to note that her anger had dissipated.

"Yeah," Scott said. "I'm gonna have nightmares for at least a month."

Just then, Lydia Martin walked by, and soon the conversation changed to more appropriate topics. Crystal separated from the other two, choosing to hide in the library until the bell rang. She made it to history and grabbed a seat in the middle of the class.

Before she knew it, Crystal was at lunch. She headed for an empty table where she knew a loner named Boyd usually sat. He was quiet, so he wouldn't bother her while she worked.

Crystal had just sat down when Stiles and Scott appeared.

"We didn't get to talk to you earlier in Chemistry," Stiles began, sprawling in the seat next to her. Chemistry was the only class Crystal had with them.

Crystal sighed. "Not now, guys. I'll talk to you later."

"Meet us after lacrosse practice. We're going to look for Scott's inhaler."

Crystal waved in his direction and pulled her books out of her bag. She was halfway through a math worksheet when Boyd slid in his seat.

"Hi, Boyd," she greeted him distractedly, trying to figure out some theorem or another when he pointed at the very first problem.

"You did that one wrong."

Crystal groaned, thumping her head on the table. She just wanted the day to be over already.

* * *

"It was amazing! He was doing these really cool leaps and somersaults and everything. He caught every single ball the team threw at him, too." They walked through the woods as Stiles gave her a run down on everything that happened while she was in chorus practice. Crystal yawned. She really didn't care about lacrosse. Sure, she went to the games, but that was when someone forced her to go. Usually that someone was Danny; sometimes it was Melissa McCall, and even Stiles and Scott on occasion.

"It was like I had all the time in the world to catch it," Scott said giddily. "It's weird. I'm also able to smell things."

Crystal bit her lip, wondering how she could handle this.

"Like what?" Stiles asked, oblivious to her distress.

"Like the mint mojito gum in your pocket," Scott said. Stiles stuck his hand in his pockets and pulled out a piece of gum. He looked at Scott, amazed.

"This all started with the bite?"

Scott nodded, suddenly looking worried. "What if it's an infection? Like, my body's filled with adrenaline before going into shock or something?"

"I've actually heard of something like this before. It's called lycanthropy."

Scott turned to Stiles, who looked deadly serious. "Is it deadly? How bad is it?"

"Oh, it's not bad at all. In fact, you only get symptoms once a month." Stiles's mouth twitched, but Crystal knew he hit the target right on the nose. Stiles nudged her, and she automatically flashed him a slight smile that didn't reach her eyes.

Scott didn't realize that Stiles was pulling his leg, and he got even more worried.

"The night of the full moon." Stiles threw back his head and did a poor imitation of a wolf howl.

Crystal shook her head. "Can we just find Scott's inhaler and go home? I have homework, and Scott has to get to the vet's soon."

"You sure it was around here?" Stiles asked. Scott hunched over and began looking for the inhaler. Crystal looked around and froze as her gaze met a pair of green eyes several shades lighter than hers.

"Positive," Scott told Stiles.

"Maybe the killer found it," Stiles joked. Scott didn't find it funny.

"I hope not. That thing's, like, eighty bucks. Mom'll kill me if I lose it."

Stiles scoffed and turned toward Crystal. When he saw who Crystal was locked in a staring contest with, he stood up straight and hit Scott hard on the arm.

"What?" Scott looked in the same direction and jerked upright.

"What are you doing here?" Derek Hale snapped, finally breaking eye contact with her. Crystal hadn't seen him in ages. He was taller and broader than she remembered, but then they had both grown. His eye and hair color seemed to be the only familiar things about him. "This is private property." In other words, they were on Hale land. From what Crystal remembered, the Hales had owned several acres around their house. She wondered if Derek had been the wolf from last night but almost immediately threw the thought away. So who was it?

"Sorry, man," Stiles apologized immediately. "We were looking for something."

Derek pulled something out of his pocket and tossed it toward Scott. Crystal didn't have to look to know it was Scott's inhaler. She blinked and Derek was gone.

"Dude! That was Derek Hale!" Stiles exclaimed. Crystal turned back to them. Scott was looking in amazement at his inhaler, and Stiles looked both excited and frightened. "Remember? He's only a few years older than us."

"Six years older," Crystal corrected automatically. "He was sixteen."

Scott and Stiles fell silent. They both knew what she was talking about—she was one of two survivors of the Hale fire. Nobody brought it up around her if they were smart. It had taken her a year for the panic attacks and nightmares to stop plaguing her endlessly. She had eventually gotten over the panic attacks. The nightmares were another story.

"What's he doing back in town?" Scott asked eventually.

Crystal shrugged, but she had an idea. "Maybe he got tired of running." Maybe he was hunting. "Let's go. Scott, you have work."

The three of them headed back to Crystal's blue Lexus. She saw no sense in wasting gas, so she told Stiles to ride with them. They piled in and Crystal glanced out her mirrors on the off chance that anybody was around. A flash of black caught her eye, and she looked again. Derek Hale was leaning against a tree some distance behind them. She glanced to make sure she was the only one who noticed.

"Hang on. I need to check something." She popped the trunk and hopped out. She raised the trunk so it was blocking the boys' vision, then she faced Derek.

_We need to talk_, she signed. _ASAP. _Derek nodded. Crystal shut the trunk and got back in the car.

"What was that about?" Stiles asked.

"I told you, I had to check something."

Crystal dropped Stiles off at the school for his Jeep and headed for the vet's office.

"I'll be back at ten," she called out the window. She didn't wait for a reply but drove in the direction of the hospital. When she got to the long term ward, she signed in and headed down the hallway. A redheaded nurse glared at her.

"You have five minutes."

Crystal rolled her eyes. The nurse had been taking care of Peter Hale for the last four years, and in all the time Crystal visited she had never seen the nurse smile once. Recently, the nurse tried to ban her from seeing Peter. Bitch was lucky Melissa was there to play peacemaker, otherwise Crystal might have been arrested for assault. She braced herself for the familiar pain and opened the door. Peter stared blankly at the wall. There it was—the pain that filled her when she realized he wasn't _her_ Peter anymore.

"Hey, Peter," she whispered. She moved in front of him and touched the good side of his face gently. "Sorry I can't stay long. I don't think your nurse likes me." She smiled slightly, wondering what Peter would say. Probably 'she doesn't like anyone' or 'it's because of your _charming_ personality, Crystal'.

"I have a wonderful personality, thank you very much," she said playfully. "But last time I was here, she tried to keep me away from you. There was a lot of shouting involved. I don't know if you heard. Melissa told her I had visitor's clearance whenever I wanted. She's amazing. Beautiful, too. You'd love her." Peter always had an eye for pretty things. "Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that Derek's back in town. I haven't seen Laura, though. I need to ask Derek about that. There's an Alpha around, too. It bit Scott last night, but he's all right." She sat down on the bed, resting her head in her hands. "I wish you were here."

* * *

Derek had to be hunting. That was the only reason for him not showing up that night, or the next night, or the night after that. Stiles told her that the coroner found wolf hair on the body. Scott was over the moon (no pun intended) about making first line and getting the new girl, Allison, to go with him to Lydia's party. On Friday night. The night of the full moon. And to make things worse, she didn't find out about the party until Thursday. After school she immediately took off for the preserve, leaving Scott to hitch a ride with Stiles.

"Derek!" she called when she was far enough that she couldn't see the road. She waited, but Derek didn't show up. If she were Derek, where would she be? Crystal froze. No. He wouldn't go back there.

Her feet moved as she thought it over. It made sense. It was his only link to Beacon Hills besides his uncle. It held memories, both good and bad. And technically, it was his house. But to go back to where your entire family died? Crystal hadn't been back since that night, and she kind of didn't want to. But if that was where Derek was, and finding Derek was the only way to talk, then she would have to go.

"Crystal Braddock."

Crystal blinked, seeing that her feet had followed a familiar path and she was now standing right in front of the burned shell that used to be the Hale house. Derek stood on the porch, arms crossed and looking intimidating.

"Derek Hale. I thought I told you we needed to talk as soon as possible." She raised her eyebrows, doing her best to block out the memories flooding her brain. He nodded. "That was three days ago."

"I was busy."

"That's it? You do know that Scott's a werewolf, right? And that tomorrow night's the full moon?" Derek nodded. Crystal threw her hands in the air. "So what's more important than helping a bitten werewolf who has no idea what's happened to him?"

It was Derek's turn to raise his eyebrows. "Maybe the fact that there's an Alpha lurking around, or that my sister is dead."

Crystal stopped breathing. "No. She can't be dead." If it was true, then that meant Derek was all alone. An Omega. Peter told her what happened to Omegas, wolves without a pack.

"Well, she is," he snapped. "I found half of her."

Crystal's brain processed that statement, and she gagged. "Oh my God. When we were out here the other night…we were looking for _Laura?_"

He nodded once. Crystal's legs gave out, and she fell to her knees. "They found wolf hair on her. Did the Alpha kill her?"

"Maybe, or maybe the hunters planted it." Derek finally moved, pulling her up and holding her in place until she could stand on her own again. "Better?"

"Yeah. Thanks." She shook her head in amazement. "So we have _two_ werewolves running around town?"

Derek nodded again. "You have to tell Scott. If you don't he'll hurt somebody or get hurt himself."

Crystal looked at him as if he were crazy. "You want me to tell my foster brother that he's a werewolf? He'll never believe me! Why can't you do it?"

"He trusts you."

Crystal groaned pathetically. "If I can get him to talk to you, can you explain?"

"If you can convince him to trust me, I can _help_ him. But it's still up to you to convince him about everything."

Crystal sighed and nodded, looking at the ground. "I'll try."

"Do or do not. There is no try."

Crystal's gaze flew up to Derek's unsmiling face. She laughed. "Yoda, seriously? You're quoting _Star Wars_?" He rolled his eyes. "Okay, give me your number. I am not going to trek out here every time I have to talk to you."

Derek rattled off his cell number faster than Crystal could type it in. "Hang on! I don't have super speed. I can't do things in the blink of an eye." He repeated it, slowly this time, and she nodded. "Got it. I'll call you later." She headed for the trail, but turned around. "And Derek? Try not to scare Scott too much."

"No promises."

* * *

**Hope you liked it. Drop a comment, ask a question. Just please, no flames. None of us like them, Peter especially. **


	2. Parties and Plans

**What's this? An update less than 24 hours after I posted the story? Shocking, especially if you've followed me before. But I've had this written and I couldn't wait any longer. **

**Thank you to everyone who's faved, followed, and reviewed. Disclaimer, etc. **

* * *

Crystal sat on her bed, a wooden box in front of her. She kept moving to open it but pulling back before she could touch it. Finally she pulled the lid up and dumped the contents on her bed before she could stop herself. The first thing she picked up was a steel dog whistle. Obligated to get her something, Derek had given it to her one Christmas as a joke. She remembered blowing it and being confused when it made no sound but half of the room flinched. Peter and Cora, who were sitting right next to her, had covered their ears. Derek had flinched too, but he had laughed and pulled out his earplugs, causing Cora to pick up a pillow and whack him on the head several times.

That was when she had no idea werewolves existed. Before the fire, before everything went to hell.

She collected the scattered pictures next, smiling at the images. One was of her, Cora, Laura, and Derek. Luckily, they were all looking away from the camera so their eyes didn't distort the image. The next was of Crystal asleep with her head on Peter's chest, his arm curled protectively around her. Peter had been asleep too, otherwise there was no was this picture would have even been taken, let alone printed.

"_Crystal, are you sure this is okay?" Cora whispered softly, but fourteen year old Derek could still hear everything they were saying. Crystal was eleven and only knew that most of the Hales had very good hearing. She quickly motioned for Cora to hush. The older kids had been warned against watching scary movies with the younger kids in the room, so when Crystal and Cora heard the Jaws theme playing, they decided to sneak in. They moved forward as softly as they could and crouched on the side of the couch, lying flat so they could see the screen. Derek shook his head but ignored the two. Peter was in a chair close by and had a clear view of the girls. If Peter wasn't going to do anything about it, than neither was Derek. _

_The girls were so focused on the movie that they didn't notice Laura slip into the room. Derek heard another heartbeat and glanced behind him but didn't see anything, so he ignored it. Just as the music reached its crescendo, Laura tickled the back of Crystal's neck. Crystal screamed, which caused Cora to scream, which made Derek jump and yelp. The girls scrambled onto the couch and clung to Derek. Peter lifted a camera from his lap and snapped a photo for blackmail purposes. Talia and Jessica, Crystal's mother, rushed into the room. Jessica flipped on the lights and went to comfort the girls as Talia dragged Laura, Peter, and Derek out for a talk about letting children watch horror movies right before bed._

_That night, Cora fell asleep next to Derek in his bed and Crystal sat in Peter's room, tightening her arms around Peter like he was her personal teddy bear._

Crystal set the pictures aside, ignoring the rest, and ran her fingers over the most important thing from the box: a necklace. The silver pendant was a little bigger than a dollar coin and the width of her pinky. It was hollow and had two barely noticeable horizontal slits at the top, with a slightly wider slit at the bottom. Engraved on the front was a woman with her hair braided over her left shoulder. Her right hand sat on the shoulder of a wolf. The wolf stood partially in front of the woman. Two slightly smaller wolves sat on the woman's other side, and two wolf pups lay between the two groups. The smaller wolf pup had slightly bared teeth. They all were looking out, as if in warning. The growling wolf pup and one of the smaller wolves had topaz chips for eyes. The second wolf pup's eyes and the bigger wolf's eyes were sapphire, while the last wolf had ruby eyes.

She clicked the clasp into place around her neck for the first time since she moved in with the McCalls. The weight immediately made her feel better, and she put her pictures and the dog whistle and other trinkets back in the box before heading to Scott's room.

"Scott?" she called. There was no response. "Scott, we have to talk. It's important." Still nothing. Crystal thought for a minute. "It's about Allison."

When even that didn't get a response, she opened the door and peeked in. The room was empty. "Damn it," she breathed. She didn't remember him having to work, so he was probably at Stiles's. Crystal decided to wait up for him. She went downstairs and flipped through the channels.

When Scott came home at half past midnight, he found Crystal curled up on the couch asleep. He chuckled and shook her awake. She didn't move. He decided to leave her be, placing a pillow under her head and tossing a blanket over her before going to bed.

* * *

Crystal woke at the sound of footsteps. Scott stood over her, grinning. She smiled at him. "You're home. Look, I need to talk to you."

"It'll have to wait. If you don't hurry up, we're going to be late for school."

"What?" she yelped, looking over at the clock. "Seven thirty? Why didn't you wake me earlier?" She tossed off the blanket, ignoring Scott's answer. "Give me fifteen minutes."

Crystal rushed through her shower, threw on her clothes and her necklace, grabbed a comb, and was back downstairs in record time. "Where's my bag?" she muttered. Scott cleared his throat and held her backpack in her direction. She ripped it from him and gave him the keys instead. "You drive."

Scott's eyes widened, but Crystal didn't let him drive often and he wasn't going to give her a chance to change her mind. He drove them to school while Crystal pulled the comb gently through her still damp curls. Right after they got out, a girl that Crystal didn't recognize waved to Scott. Scott waved back.

"So I finally get a glimpse of Allison." Crystal studied the girl that had her friend and pseudo-brother wrapped around her finger. Her brown curls cascaded over her shoulders. Crystal noticed that the girl had almost white skin, while Crystal's skin was a shade or two darker. She was thinner than Crystal, too.

"Yeah," Scott breathed. Crystal rolled her eyes at his love stricken face, chastising herself for comparing herself to a younger teenager.

"I _cannot_ deal with this today, so I will see you later. Keys." She held her hand out and shook it impatiently when Scott didn't hand them over right away.

"Oh! Sorry." He handed her the keys and followed her up the sidewalk until they reached Allison. Allison smiled brightly at Scott and her eyes slid curiously over to Crystal.

"Allison, this is my sister, Crystal."

Allison turned her smile to Crystal, but it was dimmed down a little. "He didn't mention he had a sister."

"I might as well be; I've been living with him since I was thirteen." Crystal returned her smile and waved at them. "Scott, I have to talk to you later. Don't run off again."

She was halfway to her locker when her phone rang. Glancing down at the screen, she cursed. _Derek._ She ducked into the bathroom and answered it. "Hey," she said brightly.

Too brightly, it seemed, because the first word out of Derek's mouth was a curse. "You didn't tell him, did you?"

"Well, I can't exactly talk to someone when they're not home before midnight!"

"Crystal, tonight is the full moon. If you don't tell him, he won't know what's happening." Derek sounded like he was trying very hard not to start chewing her out.

"If I can convince him, we'll be at your place before nine. If I can't, I know where he'll be." Derek was silent, so she continued. "You know the Martin house? Lydia Martin is throwing a back to school party, and he's taking his new girlfriend as a date."

"He's taking his new _human_ girlfriend to a place packed with people on his _first full moon_?" Derek growled into the phone.

"Not if I can help it. I'll call you later."

* * *

There was no lacrosse practice, so Scott had to hang out in the library for an hour until Crystal got out of chorus practice.

"Hey, Stiles called. He wants us to meet him over at his place." Scott slouched in the car seat. "I hope it doesn't take too long; I want to have plenty of time to get ready for the party."

Crystal chuckled. "Careful, Scott, your inner girl is showing."

Scott pulled a face at her but fell silent. She pulled into the driveway a few minutes later, and they headed upstairs. The door was open, so they walked in. Stiles looked up from his papers. Crystal tossed her jacket on the bed. The keys in the pocket jingled.

"Check this out. I've been doing all this reading for the last couple of days, stuff from the Net and books from the library and—"

"Stiles!" Crystal interrupted him, yanking the papers he was waving through the air. She leafed through them and realized they were all about werewolves. Holy crap. Stiles wasn't stupid, but he only ever cared about things that seemed important or interested him. He had been looking up every werewolf legend he could get his hands on.

"Is this about the body?" Scott asked. Stiles and Crystal both shook their heads. Crystal put the papers on the bed and sank down.

"No. They're still questioning people, even Derek Hale, but that's not the point!" He looked Scott in the eye. "You know the joke from the other day?"

"About Scott being a werewolf," Crystal said monotonously. This could either be very easy or go horribly wrong. She really wished Talia were here, or Derek, or even Peter. It was easier to convince someone when they saw you grow claws and fangs.

"It's not a joke anymore, guys."

"I know," she whispered. They both turned to look at her.

"What?" Scott laughed. "This is a joke. Why are you wasting my time with this?"

"Scott, you're faster than you've ever been before. You hear and smell things you shouldn't be able to hear and smell. You haven't noticed that you don't need your inhaler anymore?" Crystal silently begged Scott to believe them. It would make this so much easier.

"Look, this was fun while it lasted, but I've got to go. I need to get ready before I pick up Allison." Scott turned to leave.

"Scott!" they cried. "You can't go," Stiles continued. "Tonight's the full moon."

"I made first line, I've got a date with Allison. Why are you trying to ruin this?" Scott was getting agitated, and Crystal pulled Stiles away from him slightly. Stiles flipped through his papers.

"Look, if you go out tonight you won't just grow fangs and claws," Crystal told Scott softly. He scoffed.

"You're buying this crap?"

Stiles picked up Crystal's thought, ignoring Scott's insult. "It's also when your bloodlust will be at its peak."

Scott's eyebrows rose. "Bloodlust?"

"The urge to kill," Crystal told him. "If you go to the party, you could kill everyone."

"You're cursed, Scott," Stiles finished.

Scott rolled his eyes, fed up with their fantasy story. Stiles picked up his phone. "We have to cancel your date."

"What? No!" Scott tried to get the phone from Stiles. Crystal rose from the bed.

"Scott, Stiles, this isn't helping." They ignored her, fighting over the phone until Scott shoved Stiles up against the wall and held him in place with one hand. Crystal froze. If Scott wasn't careful, he could kill Stiles right in front of her and she wouldn't be able to stop it.

"Scott," she said softly, her heart pounding. "You need to let him go."

Scott lashed out at the nearest inanimate object, which just happened to be Stiles's chair. It toppled backward, and Scott moved in Crystal's direction. She backed toward the wall, giving Scott room. He ignored her, ripping through her jacket pocket until he found the keys. Crystal let out a breath when he slammed the door shut and went to check on Stiles.

"You okay?"

Stiles nodded dazedly, looking at his chair. Crystal cursed. Scott had left three long slashes across the back. She checked her jacket, finding similar but smaller claw marks. "And he took my keys. If he does something to my car, I'm gonna take it out on his hide," she said.

"How did you know?" Stiles was watching her closely. "That Scott was a werewolf. I didn't tell you."

Crystal shrugged. "It's a long story. Let's just say I know more than you think I do."

"Like what?"

"Like the fact that if we don't find a way to help Scott, everyone at that party is in trouble."

* * *

Scott looked at his outfit in the mirror and decided that his clothes were good enough. His mom knocked on the doorframe, and he turned toward her. She smiled.

"You look so handsome. Date?"

"Hopefully."

She chuckled. "I'm off tonight. You need the car?"

Scott held up Crystal's keys. "Crystal let me borrow her car," he lied.

His mom's eyes widened. "You're kidding." Crystal rarely let Scott drive her car, and only once before had he driven without her in it.

Scott chuckled, shaking his head. "I think she wanted to make sure I made a good impression."

"Well, I'm glad Crystal cares about you enough to let you borrow her car. Just make sure not to scratch it, or she'll have your head."

Scott winced, but his mom had already left. Yeah, it was a little too late for that.

* * *

Stiles tapped his fingers anxiously on the steering wheel while Crystal shot off a text to Derek. **He didn't take it well. He's going to the party.**

Derek's reply was instantaneous. **Stay home tonight. I'll take care of him.**

Crystal's gaze narrowed at the screen. **What do you mean by 'take care' of him?**

Derek ignored her question. **Just stay home.**

"Fat chance," Crystal whispered. She knew she could trust Derek, but Scott didn't know him. That meant that Scott didn't trust him, and when two werewolves fought it could get ugly. Even if Scott was able to heal, she didn't want to see him shredded to ribbons.

Stiles looked over at her. "Who are you texting?"

"Someone who'll be able to help," she said vaguely. "Drive."

When they got to Lydia's house, they found Crystal's car and parked next to it. Crystal checked it over quickly and sighed in relief when she didn't see any major damage. She made a mental note to check it in the morning, just in case. She hurried to catch up to Stiles and followed him to the back patio, pushing past what seemed to be the entire student body. Several people she recognized and a couple of her casual friends greeted her curiously. Crystal finally reached the other side and caught a glimpse of Scott. She leaned against a fence and closed her eyes.

"I thought I told you to stay home."

Derek's voice made her jump. Damn, she had forgotten how quietly werewolves could walk.

"I'm not leaving when my friend's in trouble."

"If he wasn't in the woods, he wouldn't be a werewolf right now."

"Too little, too late. Now we just have to deal with it."

A loud bark sounded from right behind them. Crystal jumped and they both turned to look at the dog. It was barking and snapping in Derek's direction. Crystal backed away from the fence and was able to catch a glimpse of his eyes glowing blue. The dog immediately stopped and backed away, whimpering.

Crystal shook her head in amazement. She turned around and saw Scott looking in their direction. "There's Scott."

"I see him." He looked up. "The moon's almost at its peak."

Crystal was too far away to reach Scott, but that didn't stop her from heading in his direction when he doubled over and clutched his head. Scott turned and fled, leaving a bewildered Allison behind. Stiles took off after him a moment later.

"Well, there goes my ride." Crystal approached Allison. "You okay?"

She nodded, looking confused. "Scott just took off."

Crystal nodded. "I saw. Maybe he ate some bad sushi or something." It was a pathetic excuse, and she doubted Allison bought it. "If it makes you feel any better, Stiles ditched me too." Allison shook her head. "Yeah, didn't think so."

"Ladies." Crystal huffed, trying to keep her heart in her chest. Derek had appeared right behind her, barely making a sound. She was getting rusty. Derek smirked at her.

"Derek, this is Allison. Allison, this is my friend Derek." Well, kind of. She had hung out more with Cora and Peter, but she and Derek had mostly been able to get along whenever they spent time together. Crystal couldn't recall a time when they were younger and didn't have their friends or family around. "Derek, you think you could give us a lift?"

Derek nodded. It didn't take long for them to reach his Camaro. Crystal grinned. She didn't know much about cars, but she could appreciate them. Her grin turned into an innocent smile as she held her hand out to Derek. "Can I drive?"

He gave her a look. It was the same look she gave anybody the first time they asked if they could drive her car. It said _there is no way on Earth you are driving this car. I allow very few people to drive it, and as of today you are not one of those people._

She had a second look whenever someone repetitively asked. _What did I tell you the last time you asked? The answer has not changed. If you ask one more time today I will rip something incredibly important off your body with my bare hands._ Crystal would bet her Lexus that Derek had a very similar look. She pouted playfully and slid into the back seat.

Allison slid her jacket off. "You can toss it in back," Derek suggested. She nodded and handed it to Crystal, who put it on the seat next to her. It was quiet. Allison only spoke to give Derek directions. Halfway there, Crystal couldn't stand it anymore.

"So, Allison, how do you feel about Scott?" She leaned forward between the seats to get a good look at Allison's face. The other girl bit her lip and blushed.

"Why do you want to know?" Allison sounded embarrassed.

Derek caught Crystal's eye and jerked his head slightly. She rolled her eyes but sat back, clicking her seatbelt in place. "I'm not a child."

"No, but you're in my car. If you end up flying through the windshield, I'm responsible."

"Keep this up and you'll turn into Stiles's dad," she teased. Derek ignored her. "Anyway, I have every right to ask about her intentions. I have to live with Scott, you know, and he's already floating around with his head in the clouds. If those clouds turn stormy, I'd probably wind up camping in the woods or something."

Allison laughed. "Well, I only met him Monday, but he's sweet."

Crystal grimaced. At least she hadn't said _cute._ "As long as he doesn't start writing sappy love poems about you, I guess you can date him." At the rate Scott was going, that could be any day soon.

"Ooh," Allison teased. "I didn't know I needed your permission. Left here," she added, pointing to a two story house.

"Of course you do. Like I said, I have to live with him."

Derek pulled into the driveway and parked the car. Allison got out. Crystal unbuckled her seatbelt and spotted Allison's jacket. She went to grab it but Derek growled lowly. Their eyes met in the rearview mirror, and Derek gave a subtle but firm shake of his head. She knocked it to the floor, wondering what Derek needed Allison's jacket for.

"Thanks for the ride," Allison said. They both smiled at her and Crystal changed seats as Allison disappeared into her house.

She waited until Derek was on the road again before she spoke. "All right, why do you need her jacket?"

"I need yours, too," he told her. Of course he did. She tugged it off and tossed it in back before an idea struck her.

"You're going to use our scents to bring Scott to you," she said.

"That a problem?" Even if it was, she doubted Derek would care.

She yawned. "You gonna take me home?"

He looked over at her drooping eyelids. "After I get Scott to find me, I'll take you home."

"You can't take me home now?"

"No."

"Fine."

"And this time you need to _stay in the car_."

"No problem." And, in the dark warmth of Derek's car, Crystal fell asleep.

* * *

Derek parked in front of the McCall house and glanced over at a sleeping Crystal. He doubted simply shaking her would work, especially if she was this tired. He looked at the windows. He could carry her through a window. No. He threw that idea out. He was good, but he didn't want to risk dropping her on her head from so far up. Finally, he sighed and got out of the car to examine the windows. He rolled his eyes when he saw one window partially open. It was most likely Scott's. He climbed the wall and landed softly on the bed. He was right; Scott's scent permeated the room, and it looked like a typical teenage boy's room.

He closed the window completely and locked it. He didn't care if Scott suspected someone had been in his room. It was stupid leaving a window half open, even if it was on the second story. He silently made his way down the stairs and to the front door, unlocking and opening it. He went back outside, pulled Crystal out of the car, and carried her to her room. Moonlight glinted off her necklace. He removed it and traced his fingers over the design. It was the werewolves' way of telling visitors that the human was under the protection of their pack. Every emblem was made slightly different to identify which pack member the human was closest to, the werewolf who would be first in line to seek revenge. Crystal had been closest to Peter and Cora, but any one of the pack would have killed or died to protect her.

But Crystal Braddock was more than their friend. She had grown up with them, had become part of the pack. Her necklace was slightly different from the other emblems in one significant way: the woman's hand rested on the first wolf's shoulder. It was proof that she was family, that nobody would be safe if she were hurt. It was a promise that if she were ever changed, it would be because she wanted it. Nobody would force her or try to coerce her. It would be her decision and her decision alone.

He turned the necklace around in his fingers. He paused, examining the slits. "Huh." A disguised wolf whistle. Clever, since someone would have to look closely to find out exactly what it was. He placed the necklace on her bedside table and left the same way he came, locking the door behind him. His mind ran through ideas of how to get Scott to trust him.

At least Crystal was on his side.

* * *

**teresaseda28, I hope that at least one of your questions was partially answered in this chapter. :)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	3. So Alike

**Disclaimer. The usual.**

* * *

Crystal froze in the deserted hallway, turning to look at Scott and Stiles in amazement. "Are you kidding me?"

Scott shook his head. "He was there last night. Allison's father shot me."

"What were you even doing around hunters, anyway?"

Scott grimaced at her. "Blame Derek. And by the way, what were you doing with him last night? How did he get your jacket?"

Crystal scoffed. "You two ditched me and Allison. What were we supposed to do, walk? If you had just listened to me last night—"

"I don't need a lecture!"

Stiles looked between the two nervously. They were both getting upset, and if they weren't careful, Scott could wolf out. "Hey, guys, I think we should all take a step back."

They ignored her. "You don't need one, but you try to order _me _around? I'm older than you, Scott. I don't have to make excuses and apologize to you when my actions were perfectly harmless."

"Guys!" Stiles physically stepped in between Crystal and Scott. "We don't need a repeat of earlier."

Scott glared at her but stormed out the door.

"Do I even _want_ to know?" Crystal snapped when Scott was out of sight.

Stiles winced. "Probably not, but you should. Scott almost wolfed out on the field and attacked me in the locker room after practice."

"See, _this_ is why he needs to listen to us." She sighed, trying to get rid of all her anger in one breath. It didn't work. "Is he still playing?"

"He's going to try to get out of it."

"Good." Crystal and Stiles walked out to the parking lot. Scott was leaning up against the passenger door with a brooding look on his face. Stiles veered off toward his Jeep, not wanting to stick around for more fireworks. Crystal unlocked the doors, looked down, and stopped.

No. Hell, no. This was not happening.

Claw marks surrounded her door handle, getting deeper as they moved closer to the handle. It looked like Scott's claws had marked her car when he was getting into it last night. That explained why he was such a gentleman this morning, opening her door for her before she could get to it.

"Scott. McCall," she said darkly. "Get over here. _Now._"

Scott reluctantly climbed out of the car, angry and fearful at the same time. When he got close enough, Crystal grabbed him by the arm tightly and pointed at the claw marks.

"I suppose you _were_ going to tell me eventually," she drawled sarcastically. Scott nodded. "Good. Well, now that the cat's out of the bag, can you tell me where exactly the money to fix this is coming from?"

"I'll pay for it," he sighed, wincing internally. Car repairs were expensive.

"You're damn right you are," Crystal nearly yelled before getting into the driver's seat. Scott crawled into the passenger's seat. Neither of them spoke during the entire ride, and when they got home Crystal immediately rushed up to her room, slammed the door, and screamed into her pillow.

A few hours later, someone knocked at her door. Crystal rolled her eyes and yanked the door open. Melissa smiled at her. "Can I come in?"

Crystal shrugged, going back to lie on her bed. "Sure."

"How was chorus practice?"

"It was all right. There's one line that's giving me trouble, but I'll get it."

Melissa nodded and abruptly changed the subject. Crystal was expecting it, but it still sucked. "Scott told me what happened. He feels really bad about it."

Which part, trying to boss her around or not listening to her? "As long as he fixes it, I won't make his life a living hell."

"Yeah, he said he'll pay someone to fix the door." Right. The least important point on the list of things Scott did to make her angry today. It still sucked, but she could get her priorities straight. Melissa switched topics again. "I'm taking next Saturday off to see the lacrosse game. Are you going?"

Not if she could help it. "Maybe." Depended on whether Scott could get out of the game or not.

"All right. Well, this was fun." Melissa paused in the doorway. "Hey, it was an accident. Don't be too mad at Scott, okay?"

Crystal nodded. She was right. Scott didn't ask to be turned into a werewolf or shot at by the hunters. She wanted so badly to blame him for not listening to her, Derek, and Stiles and going to the party anyway. Unfortunately, she recalled Derek doing something similar once.

She groaned and headed down the hall to Scott's room. The door was wide open. Scott looked at her warily but his computer beeped before either of them said anything. Grateful for the distraction, Scott turned to his computer. Crystal plopped on Scott's bed and listened to them talk.

"What'd you find out?" Scott asked.

"Well, Jackson's got a dislocated shoulder."

Scott sighed, glancing at Crystal. She could see the guilt in his eyes. "Because of me?"

"Because he's a tool," Stiles corrected.

"Is he going to be able to play next week?" Crystal asked even though she knew Stiles couldn't see her. She turned her head and jumped at the sight of Derek crawling through the wide open window. He silently moved to stand in the shadows behind Scott.

_A little warning next time,_ she signed quickly.

Meanwhile, Stiles was answering her question. "They don't know yet. As of right now, Scott's our best hope for Saturday." Scott groaned. "Sorry, buddy."

Stiles went silent. That was odd for him, so Crystal hopped off the bed and looked over Scott's shoulder. Stiles was halfway through typing something when the screen froze.

**It looks like**

"What?" Scott muttered. "Looks like what?" Crystal rolled her eyes and started typing her own message as the screen loaded again.

**Someone's behind you.**

Scott slapped her hands out of the way and zoomed in on his screen, revealing Derek in the background. Crystal finished her message. **Bye Stiles, talk to you later.** She sent it and closed the laptop as Scott scrambled out of his chair. Derek grabbed him and shoved him face first into the wall, twisting an arm behind Scott's back.

"Oh, did I mention Derek popped in for a visit?" Crystal asked innocently.

"I saw what you did on the field," Derek growled.

Scott tried to play dumb. "I don't know what you're talking about." He winced as Derek pulled his arm up a little higher.

"Don't break his arm. Scott, playing dumb doesn't win you any points," Crystal said idly, rearranging Scott's chair and getting comfortable.

"Whose side are you on?" Scott cried.

"You nearly lost it in front of most of the team. I'm with Derek on this one."

"If they find out about you, they find out about us." Derek gestured between himself and Crystal. Crystal shot him a confused look, which he ignored. "Then it won't be just hunters after us. It'll be _everyone_."

"They won't find out!" Scott cried.

"Oh, I know they won't. Because if you even think about playing next Saturday, I'll kill you myself." He released Scott and disappeared out the window before Crystal could say anything.

Scott looked at her in disbelief. "You agree with that, too?"

Crystal shot him a look. _Idiot_. "Derek won't kill you." She rose from the chair. "But you'd better find a way to get out of the game." She left, mulling over what Derek meant by "us".

* * *

"Stay away from Allison. And stay away from Crystal."

Derek uncrossed his arms. "Crystal is perfectly safe with me. You don't get it, Scott. I'm looking out for you." _Both of you._ "Crystal knows the basics, but she doesn't know how to help you like I do. If you go out on the field, and you shift in front of everyone, you will lose everything. Your entire life would fall apart around your ears, all because you couldn't miss one stupid lacrosse game."

Scott fumed silently as Derek walked around the house. _Well? _Crystal signed impatiently. _What did he want?_

_He wanted me to stay away from you._

_And yet he's the one taking all the risks. _Crystal rolled her eyes.

_Someone's going to get hurt._

_I'll find a way to stop him._

Derek scoffed. Scott was a teenage boy, and teenage boys never took orders very well especially from their older sisters. "That's what you said last time. How did that work out?"

Crystal reached out and punched him roughly on the shoulder as she walked by. He barely felt it. "Fine, you know-it-all, what's your bright idea?"

Derek shrugged. "Rip his throat out. Beat him to a pulp."

"_No_," Crystal said firmly. "We still have a couple of days. You can either help me with homework, or you can tell me what the whole 'us' thing the other night."

"You mean when I climbed in through the window and threatened Scott?"

She nodded. "Yeah. And, side note, he _really_ needs to start locking that thing."

Derek agreed. "You're part of the Hale pack." He gestured to her necklace that she wore every day since the party. They stopped in front of Laura's grave. "You're easier to kill." His throat tightened at the memories of his family, the ones that were human, and he choked the next words out. "If people found out about werewolves, they would go after you first. I would do everything in my power to protect you, but eventually something would happen." She would die just like Laura.

"Someone would slip through the cracks, and I'd be dead," Crystal whispered, glancing at the grave. Tears snaked down her cheeks.

"Which is why we can't take that chance," he told her firmly.

She wiped the tears away, looking determined. "All right. Is there anything I can do that would keep him down for a few hours?"

"Wolfsbane always works," he said heavily. "But more than likely it would either kill him or agitate him."

She shivered. "No thanks. Next?"

"You could always trap him in a circle of mountain ash, but I don't know where we'd find any on such short notice."

Crystal sighed. "Things would be so much easier if Scott can just find a way out of playing."

* * *

The phone rang Saturday morning. Crystal grumbled but answered it. "What?"

"You need to get to the Hale house." Scott didn't wait for a reply before he hung up. She looked at the phone dumbly before cursing.

"This had better be important." She tossed on the first outfit she found, tied her hair into a ponytail, and grabbed her keys to her newly repaired car. She pulled up to the Hale house in time to see Sheriff Stilinski cuffing Derek.

Crystal watched in outrage for a moment. Derek met her eyes and looked deliberately to her left. Scott and Stiles stood in front of the Jeep. They were purposefully ignoring her. She would deal with them later.

"Sheriff," she called. "Why are you arresting Derek Hale?"

Sheriff Stilinski looked over his shoulder at her. "It's an ongoing investigation, Crystal. You know I can't tell you anything."

Crystal waited until Derek was in the police car and the sheriff's back was turned before she ducked in the back next to Derek, keeping her foot in the doorframe so she wouldn't be locked in.

"What did they do?"

"Dug up Laura's body," Derek growled. "The cops arrested me for murder."

Stiles sneaked into car and looked at Derek through the bars. "Just so you know, I'm not scared of you." Derek looked at Stiles. Crystal was glad the look wasn't directed at her; it still gave her the chills. "Okay, maybe a little."

"What about me, Stiles?"

Stiles turned slowly toward Crystal. "What are you doing back there?"

She grinned toothily. "Well, I'm wondering if it's worth going to jail for ripping you and Scott to tiny pieces. What the hell made you think it was a good idea to dig up half a werewolf in the middle of the night when said grave is on another werewolf's land?"

"You knew about that?" Stiles looked at her, appalled. "Did you help him bury her?" He looked between the two of them. "Why did you kill her, anyway?"

"He didn't kill anyone!"

"What makes you think I'm the one you have to worry about?" Derek and Crystal spoke at the same time. Derek continued. "When Scott shifts on the field, what do you think will happen? Will they just ignore the fact that he grew claws and fangs and keep cheering him on?"

"It doesn't work like that, Stiles. And thanks to you, Derek can't keep him from playing. Which means it's up to us." She gestured between the two of them. "Two humans who stand no chance—"

Stiles was yanked from the front seat. Crystal bailed, shutting the door as quietly as possible despite Derek's protest, before turning around and coming up short. She smiled sweetly at Sheriff Stilinski. "Sheriff, what a surprise."

He glared at her, holding Stiles in a death grip. He beckoned her to follow and led them a short distance from the car. Crystal glanced at Derek, who raised his eyebrows. "That's what I was trying to tell you," he mouthed. She winced. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the seat.

"What the hell were you two doing in the car? And you." He pointed at Crystal. "Why would you do something as stupid as sitting next to a suspected murderer in the back of a cop car?"

"One, _suspected_ is the key word there. Two, I know Derek. And three, I had the door propped open."

"We were just trying to help," Stiles added. Crystal and Sheriff Stilinski both glared at him. He inched away from Crystal.

"He's not a killer, Sheriff," Crystal said, dropping her glare. "I don't care what you found. I grew up around him, and that has to count for something."

"That's what everyone says, Crystal. We found _half a_ _body_ buried in his yard, the same half we were looking for the other night." He looked over to Stiles suspiciously. "How exactly did you come across a buried body again?"

"Well, see, we found it when we were looking for Scott's inhaler."

"Scott lost his inhaler?"

"Yeah, last week."

Crystal was debating whether or not to stay and watch Stiles dig himself into a deeper hole—which would be bad news for her—or sneak away and possibly stay out of trouble. Eh, she was in trouble anyway. She needed this.

"Last week when you were looking for the other half of the body?"

"Yes," Stiles sighed. Crystal snorted.

"When you told me you were alone, and that Scott and Crystal were home?"

"Yes." Stiles's eyes widened. Finally, he got it. "No?"

Crystal patted him on the shoulder. "And this is why I ask how you got so far in life."

"So you lied to me?"

"Depends how you would define lying." Stiles ran a hand over his shaved head.

"Well, I would define it as not telling the truth. How about you?"

Stiles gestured as he spoke. "I would define it as reclining your body in a horizontal position."

His dad shoved Stiles toward the Jeep. "Get out of here."

"Gladly."

Sheriff Stilinski looked at her exasperatedly when Stiles was gone. "You're supposed to keep them out of trouble, not have them drag you into it!"

She bit her lip. "Their excuse was that if I didn't go, something worse could happen. You know what they're like, Sheriff."

He shook his head. "Go."

She took two steps toward her car before she stopped. "Sheriff, can I visit Derek after you process him?"

"We'll see."

* * *

"He's gone."

Crystal stared at her phone in disbelief. "What do you mean, he's gone?"

"Well, we found a rope with wolfsbane on it."

"When you were digging up the body," she finished. She knew about it; she had helped Derek thread the plant into the rope. "Tell me you didn't keep it."

"How was I supposed to know?"

"Damn it, Stiles!" She glared out her windshield at the police station. "How long has he been gone?"

"Not long. I'm driving around looking for him."

"Fine. I'll start by the school, but he's on foot. Make sure to check the roofs, too."

"Okay. I'll call if I find him."

"Same." Crystal hung up and started the car. The boys really needed to start listening to her.

She drove for hours. Finally, her phone rang.

It was Melissa. "Just checking to see if you're coming to the game tonight."

"I'm running an errand right now. If I get done on time, I'll swing by."

"Good. See you then."

"No," Crystal said after she hung up. "It won't be good if I wind up going to the game." Because that would mean she and Stiles hadn't talked Scott out of playing—or worse, they hadn't found him.

Her phone rang again. "Found him," Stiles said immediately. "We're at the school."

"He's playing?"

"Yes, I'm playing," Scott said close by. It sounded like he had pulled the phone away from Stiles. "I want a semi-normal life. Is that too much to ask?"

Crystal growled. Well, she did her best imitation of one. "Scott, you can have a semi-normal life. Said life does not have to revolve around a game and a girl."

"What, you _want_ me to turn into Derek?"

Memories of a cheerful Derek flooded her mind. She closed her eyes. "Being a werewolf didn't change Derek," she said softly. Scott and Stiles were both silent. "Look, forget the game. It's one game."

"Coach says if I don't play, I kiss first line goodbye!"

Stiles spoke. "I'll keep an eye on him. If anything seems to be going wrong, I'll get him out."

"It looks like you'll have to. And I'll be there, too. I just have to make a quick pit stop."

"You're going to see Derek, aren't you?" they asked together.

She hung up on them.

* * *

Stiles looked over at Scott after Crystal hung up on them. "You realize those two are really alike when they wanna be?"

Scott nodded. "It's kind of creepy." He unscrewed his water bottle and took a drink.

Stiles tilted his head. "Just think about what would happen if they started dating." Not that they would be able to, since Derek was a killer and all.

Scott choked, spewing water all over Stiles. Stiles grabbed a towel and patted himself dry while Scott was busy trying to breathe again. "Don't joke about stuff like that," Scott said hoarsely. "Remember how it turned out last time?" He gestured to his face.

Stiles's eyes widened. "I jinxed us. Quick, find me some wood! Salt! Something!"

Coach blew his whistle. "Too late," Scott whispered. "If they wind up dating and I end up dead, I am _so_ haunting your ass!"

* * *

"Greg." Crystal smiled brightly at the officer on duty. "It's good to see you."

Greg, a twenty-something officer, smiled back at her. "Hi, Crystal. What are you doing here? I heard you were going to the lacrosse game."

She shrugged. "As long as I'm there before the game ends, who cares when I arrive?" She leaned forward. "Listen. I need a favor. Can you let me in to see Derek Hale?"

Greg blinked. "The killer?"

Crystal looked at him, trying to raise one eyebrow sardonically. She had no idea if it worked. "_Alleged _killer, and my friend. I would really appreciate it if I could see him for maybe ten minutes."

Greg pursed his lips. "I don't know, Crystal. Usually alleged murderers don't get visitors."

"Usually alleged murderers don't have friends willing to be seen with them." Crystal sighed softly and frowned. She knew Derek would be all right, aside from the fact that the food was probably crap and he was in a cage. But for some reason she just really wanted to see him. Maybe it was because he was her friend's brother, or maybe because he was the only one who could really help Scott. It had to be the latter.

Greg typed something into the computer. "The sheriff cleared you for visits," he told her and led her to the back. She smiled at him when he opened the door for her. "Ten minutes. I'll be up front."

She nodded. He closed the door behind her, and she turned to look at Derek. He was lying on a cot just wide enough for him to fit on. The cell was barely big enough for him to take five steps in any direction, if that. His eyes were closed even though he knew she was here.

"You should be at the game."

Crystal scoffed. "And do what? Call time out when Scott's eyes start glowing?"

Derek finally opened his eyes. He turned his head in her direction and glared. "No, be there to make sure he doesn't turn."

"It might have escaped your notice, but right now Scott's not listening to me." She walked closer to the cell as she spoke until she was almost right up against it. "When the coroner finds out what killed Laura, they'll have to let you go. When they do, you can't kill Stiles."

He raised his eyebrows. "I _can't_?"

She sighed. "Well, you could, but Scott would be pissed and he wouldn't want to be within thirty miles of you, let alone go to you for help." She paused, thinking. "And as annoying as he is, Stiles is a good friend. He's also smart when he wants to be. So I would be upset if you killed him."

Derek growled lowly. She had backed him into a corner. "What makes you think I won't kill Scott instead?"

"We both know you need him as much as he needs you."

He finally got up off the bed. "Why are you here?"

"I wanted to make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine." He smirked. "How did you get permission?"

"The sheriff allowed it."

His smirk grew. "Doubtful." He had heard the officer's heartbeat stutter when Crystal walked in.

Crystal narrowed her eyes at him. "What are you saying? You think Greg has a crush on me?" No. Greg was always nice to her, but then he was nice to everybody.

"I don't _think._ I _know._"

"Oh, yeah," she teased. "Because you know everything. What am I thinking right now?" She flashed back to Cora. They had done something similar to this before, only Crystal had been the one with the crush.

Derek watched the playful grin slide off her face and knew. "You're probably thinking about Cora. Maybe Peter, but Cora's more likely." And just like that, the semi-cheerful mood evaporated.

Forest green eyes flecked with gold met light green. "I have to go. I'll see you later."

* * *

"How are we doing?" Crystal asked Allison, leaning around Lydia. Allison was sitting between Lydia and a man with brown hair who she figured was Allison's father, the guy who shot Scott.

"Scott hasn't gotten the ball yet." Allison frowned. Crystal looked out at the field. Damn it. They were behind, and even though Scott was open, nobody was passing him the ball.

"Pass to McCall!" she heard Finstock holler. Crystal virtually ignored everything else, focusing only on Scott. She saw when he started using his wolf powers and was really glad his mask hid his gold eyes. With a little over a minute left, Scott got the ball.

"Come on, Scott," Allison called.

"You're okay," Crystal whispered, unsure if she was talking to herself or Scott. "Just focus. Don't let it get out of control."

Soon it was over, with Scott scoring the winning shot. Crystal sighed in relief. "Thank God." She glanced toward Stiles, but he wasn't on the bench. She got up, pushing past the cheering fans, and found the sheriff and Stiles talking. They looked up when Crystal came over.

"Oh, Crystal." Sheriff Stilinski looked at her and flashed a small smile in her direction. "You should hear this, too. I just got off the phone with the coroner."

"And he proved Derek didn't do it, right?"

When he nodded, she smiled smugly at Stiles. "The coroner determined she was ripped apart by an animal. But that's not all. They I.D.'d the body. It was Laura Hale."

Stiles gaped. Crystal figured she had to look shocked, too, so she mimicked him. "Are you kidding me?"

"I wish I were." The sheriff let out a long breath. "Now I've got to go release Derek."

"I'm coming with you," Crystal said immediately.

He nodded. "I figured you'd say that."

Crystal followed the sheriff while Stiles went to find Scott. When met at the front of the station, Crystal held her hand out for the key. "Can I do it?"

He chuckled slightly but handed the keys over, holding up the one that unlocked Derek's cell. She tossed them in the air and caught them with a grin before leading the way to the back.

Derek was sitting against the bars but rose when they came in. Crystal twirled the keys around her finger with a flourish, then looked at them with wide eyes. "Oops."

The two men shook their heads at her. The sheriff snatched them off her finger and unlocked the cell. "You're free to go," he told Derek. Crystal was grinning like the cat that got the cream.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, crappy food, blah blah blah." Crystal turned on her heel, calling to Derek behind her. "Once you get your stuff back at the desk, we're going for real food. I'm hungry."

"Who's paying?" Sheriff Stilinski asked softly as Greg handed Derek's stuff over.

She glanced at him, a mischievous grin on her face. "Scott. Who else?"

Derek came over and they left. When they got in the car, Derek asked, "How is Scott paying? I doubt we're meeting up with him."

"Look in the glove box."

He flipped it open and pulled out a gray wallet. He chuckled.

"I said he was paying. I never said he'd know about it. So, where to?"

* * *

**Two lessons in this chapter: Never piss Crystal off, and Crystal is always right.**

**I love this chapter, really. I hope you enjoyed it.**


	4. The Driver

**Hey, hi, yo. I could have posted this yesterday, but FF was being lame. It sucked. **

**Thank you to everyone who has viewed, faved, or followed this story. And thank you to Guest who reviewed my last chapter, and the others who reviewed before that. LOVE YOU!**

**Do I even need to tell you that I don't own TW?  
**

* * *

Scott's shout woke her. It was quick, maybe a second or two, but it was enough to wake her and send her flying down the hall. Scott was sitting upright, shaking. He flinched when she turned on the light. "Scott?"

Melissa was right behind her. "You okay, Scott?"

He nodded. "Bad dream. Didn't mean to wake you two."

Melissa went downstairs to get him something to drink. Crystal sat on the bed beside him. "What was it about?"

Scott gazed at her dreadfully. "I dreamed I killed Allison."

Melissa came back into the room with a cup, and Crystal left. She caught a glimpse of the clock and groaned. It was seven in the morning. "No point in trying to go back to bed," she muttered. Instead, she found a deep gray tank top and a black off the shoulder half-top with long sleeves. She added a pair of blue jeans, tan boots, and her necklace to the ensemble. She nodded in approval at her reflection.

Scott knocked on her half-open door. "Ready?"

Crystal nodded. "Let me eat first." They went downstairs and she snagged the last banana from the fruit bowl.

"Have you seen my wallet?" Scott asked as she was driving.

"Glove box," she said absently.

He found his wallet and opened it. "What the hell?" Thankfully they were at a stop light, so Crystal had the privilege of watching him gape like a fish. "Where's my money?"

"There was only, like, fifteen bucks in there. Not enough for Italian for two, just so you know." The light turned green. "Derek and I wound up splitting the rest of the bill."

Scott's brow furrowed, and he glared at her. The problem with having puppy dog eyes was that his glares were pretty pathetic. "You treated Derek Hale to dinner? With _my_ money?"

"You _did _get him thrown in jail," she reminded him. "Be glad that's all we took from you." They reached the school. She hadn't even parked before he bailed. She rolled her eyes.

Scott met up with Stiles near Crystal's locker and proceeded to both tell him that he had a weird dream and complain about Crystal sucking him dry. Crystal slammed her locker door shut. "Oh my God, it's fifteen bucks. I've spent more on you two in one sitting and you don't hear me complaining."

Stiles waved his arms between the two of them. "We'll get back to that later. Right now, I'm more worried about Scott's creepy ass dream."

"Yeah, you never went into details." Stiles and Crystal joined forces, staring Scott down until he gave in.

"I was on a school bus with Allison. We started making out—"

"And I'm done," Crystal interrupted, walking down the hallway.

"It got worse." Scott frowned as he and Stiles caught up to her. "See, after that, my claws grew. Then she was running, and I tore at her legs, and there was screaming and blood everywhere."

"So you killed her?" Stiles asked.

As they kept speaking, Crystal fell back a couple of steps and typed out a text to Derek. **Scott had a weird dream last night. He says it felt real. Thoughts?**

"It's not like there's a Lycans 101 class you can take."

Crystal's ears twitched and she pushed between the two of them. "Class? No. Teacher? Yes." She looked at both of them significantly.

Stiles groaned, but Scott seemed to be thinking about it at least a little. "Maybe. But we did get him tossed in jail."

"And we spent your money on a very nice dinner. Right now, the scales are tipped more evenly. Of course, I could say I told you so…"

"I'd rather you didn't," Scott said immediately.

"You can't be serious. Going to Derek for help?"

"It's just that the dream felt so real, like it actually happened." They pushed the school doors near the bus parking lot wide and froze. Crystal gasped at all the blood and the torn up bus. Her phone beeped with a message from Derek.

**It most likely was. Tell Scott to see me ASAP. **

"Oh, _now _you tell me."

* * *

"Dude, chill. She probably just has her phone off," Stiles reassured him as Scott tore through the halls, looking for Allison. It freaked Crystal out too. If Scott's dream had been real, maybe the part about Allison had also been true.

"Scott," Crystal said firmly. "You need to calm down. When she shows up, you're going to freak her out."

He wasn't listening. He wound up slamming his fists into a locker and mutilating it. Crystal caught a glimpse of curly brown hair and tapped his shoulder. When he finally turned to look at her, she pointed behind him. Stiles breathed a sigh of relief as Scott calmed down. As the anxiety left her, Crystal rolled her eyes.

The principal came on the intercom. "Attention, everyone. As you may be aware, the police are on campus trying to determine exactly what happened on one of the buses last night. While they do so, classes will proceed as scheduled." Half the hall groaned. "I repeat, we will be having classes today."

"There's a murder and we still have to deal with Harris?" Stiles huffed.

"It sucks. But life goes on." The bell rang, and Crystal said goodbye to the others. The next few classes were filled with students debating what happened last night and who the victim was. Finally she sat down in Chemistry and immediately turned to Scott and Stiles.

"Maybe it was my blood," Scott whispered.

"Could have been animal blood," Stiles suggested. "You could have caught a rabbit."

Crystal shook her head in exasperation. That was way too much blood to be from one measly rabbit. Besides, she was ninety-eight percent sure werewolves did not go after rabbits. The other two percent made her want to double check with Derek.

"And did what?"

"Ate it, stupid."

Scott's eyes widened. "_Raw_?"

Crystal resisted the urge to slam her head on the desk. "No, idiot," she hissed loudly.

"You stopped to bake it in a little werewolf oven," Stiles continued in a softer whisper. "Yes, raw."

"Mr. Stilinski," Mr. Harris called across the room. "If you think that qualifies as a whisper, you might want to take the headphones out every once in a while."

Crystal's face twisted into a silent snarl. Harris was a discriminatory teacher who for some reason adored Jackson and Danny (but really, who didn't love Danny?) and was willing to let Crystal herself get away with certain things, which never made sense to her. Stiles, on the other hand, he seemed to hold a special hatred for.

"I think you, McCall, and Ms. Braddock are in need of some space. McCall, by Danny. Stilinski, up front."

She shot the boys a sad smile as they were forced to move. They all knew detentions with Harris were a pain in the ass, and none of them could afford it today.

"Hey, I think they found something."

One sentence was all it took for every student in the room to rush over to the window. Some of them stood on chairs to see over the others. Crystal nudged her way between Danny and Scott. Paramedics were wheeling a man covered in blood and gauze over to the ambulance. Suddenly, the man started flailing and sat straight up. Everyone jumped. Several people screamed, which covered Crystal's yelp. She fisted her hand into the nearest person's shirt.

"Hey, Crystal?" Danny asked. "Think you could let go?"

She released him, ignoring his humored expression.

"I did that," Scott breathed. She turned to him and punched him on the arm. "Ow!" Wimp.

Lunch rolled around. Crystal waved to Boyd when she saw him, but Scott and Stiles had pulled her down as she passed their table and were speaking.

"What makes you think Derek even knows what's going on?" Stiles protested.

Crystal scoffed. "He's a born werewolf, he knows almost everything there is to know. And if he doesn't, he'll find someone who does."

"He is?" they asked together. She nodded. "That explains a lot," Scott mused. "He wasn't out of control like I was."

"Which time, last night or two weeks ago?" Crystal asked.

"Both."

"You don't even know if that _was_ you," Stiles insisted.

"I can't risk it. I have to cancel my date with Allison."

"Wow. A week ago, you were all set for a semi-normal life. Now you want to throw that away?" She rolled her eyes. "Make up your mind."

"I'm gonna cancel."

"He's not cancelling." Stiles spoke over Scott. "We'll figure this out."

"Figure what out?" Lydia asked as she sat down. Pretty soon, her whole clique surrounded the trio.

Crystal rose. "I gotta go." She waved to Allison and Danny and made a beeline for Boyd's table.

"Haven't talked to you in a while. How are things?"

He shrugged. "All right. You?"

"Same. Do you know who they found on the bus today?"

"No. Most likely a bus driver."

She could have slapped herself. "Wow. It's so obvious, why didn't I think of that?"

Boyd chuckled. "I think you've been hanging out with your brother and his friend too long."

Crystal nodded wholeheartedly in agreement, not bothering to correct him. "That's got to be it. Their stupidity is obviously contagious." Her phone beeped. "Hang on."

It was from Stiles. **Vic: Garrison Myers. Critical**

Crystal frowned. "Garrison Myers. I know that name."

"Didn't he used to be an insurance agent or something?" Boyd asked.

Her eyes widened.

_Ms. McCall was arguing with someone outside her window. Crystal tiptoed out of bed and pressed her ear to the wall, hoping to hear something. She wished she had werewolf hearing like Cora and Peter. Maybe she could ask Peter—_

_No. She had to remember that Peter wouldn't be able to talk to her anymore. She stifled a sob. Ms. McCall didn't want to let her see him yet, saying she wanted Crystal to remember them as they _were_ and not as...burned bodies. Well, Crystal filled in the blanks. _

_She still couldn't hear anything, so she crept over to the door and cracked it open just enough that she would be able to hear, but not far enough for it to squeak. _

"—_Garrison Myers isn't going to give that poor girl _anything_?"_

"_I know, but insurance companies don't pay out for stuff like that. Her parents and the Hales left her some money, though." Crystal recognized Mr. Stilinski's voice. She pulled the door open fully.  
_

"_Can you give it to Peter?" _

_Ms. McCall and Mr. Stilinski whirled at the sound of her voice. The thirteen year old looked between the two of them. "Can you give the money to Peter?" she asked again. _

_Mr. Stilinski shrugged. "I don't know, sweetheart."_

"_Don't call me sweetheart," she told him immediately. Only her parents, Talia, Peter, and Mike Hale had called her that. _

"_Sorry." _

"_It's okay." She shook the tears out of her eyes. "Who's Garrison Myers?"_

"_How much did you hear?" Ms. McCall asked in exasperation._

_She smiled slightly, the first smile that touched her face in days. "Just that last bit."_

"_Garrison Myers is an insurance agent. He's deemed the fire an accident."_

_Crystal's eyes flooded with angry tears, and she didn't stop them this time. "But it wasn't an accident! I saw her! She was watching the house burn and she smiled!"_

_Ms. McCall shot a glare at Mr. Stilinski and led Crystal back to her bed like a child. The teenager didn't fight, instead curling up into her pillow and screaming. Ms. McCall rubbed her back like her mom and Talia used to, and even Peter on rare occasions. She just muttered, "She was watching it burn. And she was smiling."_

"Crystal?" Boyd was looking at her worriedly.

"What?" she bit out. "I'm fine."

He handed her a rough napkin and pointed at her face. "You were crying."

Crystal dabbed her face dry. "Just memories. I'm fine."

"The bell's about to ring." Boyd changed the subject. When they got up to go to class, she impulsively hugged him. She pulled back before he could do anything other than stiffen.

"Thanks."

* * *

Crystal tapped impatiently on the steering wheel. "Come on, Scott," she muttered. Finally he came rushing out of the building. As soon as he was strapped in, she pulled out of her parking space.

"I may have done something," Scot began hesitantly.

"What?" she asked warily. "If it has to do with Derek—"

"No, no."

"Good. Besides, we're going to see him after your shift."

"Can I borrow the car t—?"

"No."

"But I—"

"No. Next subject. What are you doing on your date?"

"Well, Lydia kind of turned it into a double date. We're going bowling."

"Bowling?" Crystal's eyes widened. Scott _sucked_ at bowling, if the stories were to be believed.

"Yeah. It was bad." He winced. "But Jackson was there and…"

"Say no more." She pulled to a stop in front of the vet's. "I'll be back at seven."

"See if Mom'll let me borrow the car!" he called as he ducked inside.

She chuckled and passed a patrol car on the way out of the parking lot. She decided to stop and get Melissa some dinner, and after flipping a coin she chose Chinese. When she got to the hospital, she had to duck past people rushing back and forth. Once the chaos died down, Melissa saw her and smiled. Crystal held out the Chinese box.

"It was Scott's idea."

"That's nice of him, and thank _you_ for buying. But you can tell Scott he's still not getting the car tomorrow night."

They laughed. "I'm gonna go see Peter," Crystal told her.

"Good. Jennifer's on break now."

"Jennifer?"

Melissa raised her eyebrows. "His nurse?"

"The redhead who hates me?"

"That's the one."

Crystal smiled. "I'll be sure to avoid her on the way out." The long-term ward was a ghost town compared to the entryway. Crystal knocked on Peter's door out of habit. "Hey, Peter." He was lying in his bed now. She pulled up a chair, grabbed his hand, and brought him up to speed on everything that had happened since she last saw him, from Derek getting arrested to the insurance investigator getting attacked.

"Scott's got to learn to start trusting Derek soon, or he's going to get into more trouble."

Someone knocked softly on the door. She squeezed Peter's hand and let go. "Yes?"

"Time to go, sweetie," Melissa told her. "It's almost seven."

Crystal nodded and left the room. Melissa closed the door behind her. Neither of them saw Peter's pinky twitch.

* * *

"You're not getting the car," were the first words out of Crystal's mouth as Scott got in.

He groaned. "Did you even _try?_"

"I got Chinese and told her it was your idea. If that's not bribery, I don't know what is."

"Can I—" He stopped at her look. Her _ask me again and lose a testicle _look. "How about you drive me and Allison?"

She thought it over as she drove. Scott stayed silent, waiting anxiously for her answer. Once they parked outside of Derek's house, he got his answer. "I'll think about it."

He groaned. They climbed out of the car and waited. Scott looked over at her. "What's he waiting for?"

Crystal never took her eyes away from the upstairs window that used to be and probably still was Derek's bedroom. "Probably an apology. After all, you _did_ unbury his sister and get him arrested, just to be able to play a lacrosse game."

Scott looked at the window and swallowed his pride. "He's home, right?"

"He should be."

"Derek, I'm sorry." Scott blurted it out. The door swung open, and Derek stood in the doorway. Scott continued. "It was a bad idea, getting you arrested. We practically told the hunters that you were in town. But I need your help. I had a dream last night." He looked over at Crystal, who waved her hand in a go on motion. "I dreamed that I hurt someone. I got to school, and it turned out that it did happen, just to a different person."

Derek looked at Crystal. _Good enough for you? _He signed.

_Not bad for a teenage boy._ _Dinner last night helped. _

"What are you guys doing?" Scott asked, watching them move their hands in various patterns. "Is that sign language?"

She nodded.

"You think you're the one who attacked the driver?" Derek finally spoke. Scott looked between the two of them.

She shrugged. "I barely told him anything."

Scott turned back to Derek. "Did you see what I did last night?"

"No."

"Am I going to hurt someone?"

"Yes."

Scott was getting more and more anxious with each monosyllabic answer. "Am I going to kill someone?"

"Probably."

"Why do you think we didn't want you playing Saturday?" Crystal added.

"I can help you remember. I can teach you how to control the shift, even during a full moon. But I want something in return."

"What is it?"

They had to give Scott credit for not jumping into the open ended deal head first. "You'll see. For right now, just go back to the bus. Go inside. Let your senses remember for you. Don't try to force it."

Scott thought it over for a moment. "All right."

"Cool. So, we can go now?" Crystal shot Derek a smile. "Not that I don't enjoy spending time with you, broody face and all, but we need to be going. Homework." Scott groaned, and she glared at him softly. "No complaining. Just because you're a werewolf doesn't mean you can fail your classes."

Scott got into the car, and she followed. He unrolled the window and wondered if it was worth it. Yeah, he had to see for himself. "Random question. Could I borrow your car tomorrow night?"

He didn't have to turn around to know that Crystal was sending him a disbelieving look. Derek's eyebrows raised, and he sent Scott a look that was familiar. _It's my car, you're not going to be driving it or even touching it any time soon_.

"Okay, just wondering."

Crystal waited until they were off the preserve before she reached over to slap Scott's head. "Ow!"

"What on earth possessed you to ask if you could borrow his car?"

"Just something Stiles said."

"And what did Stiles say?"

Scott didn't answer her.

* * *

"Just go in? That's it?" Stiles asked as he parked in front of the fence. Scott nodded.

"Yeah. Oh, and I asked if I could borrow the Camaro."

Stiles's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. "What that hell?"

"We were right. They _can_ be scarily similar. You know the look Crystal gets whenever someone asks if they can drive her car?"Stiles nodded. "Well, Derek has one that's nearly identical."

"And you're positive they're not dating?"

"Yeah, pretty sure."

"It's only a matter of time, then. Any chance we could keep them away from each other?"

It was highly doubtful.

* * *

Crystal was awake when Scott burst through the door. "I remembered."

"Good. And?"

"And I was trying to protect the driver, not hurt him. This means I can go out with Allison!"

Crystal chuckled. "And not killing your friends and family is a bonus."

"Stiles said almost the exact same thing."

"That kid is smart when he wants to be."

* * *

Crystal wound up driving Scott to the bowling alley where the others were waiting. Jackson laughed when he saw them. "Wow, McCall, I didn't know you needed a babysitter."

She glared at him. "He doesn't. Nobody drives my car without my explicit permission." She smiled sweetly. "Sorry, Jackson. Is explicit too big of a word for you? I could dumb it down if you like."

Jackson returned her glare. "I know what it means."

"Which word? Explicit or it?"

Allison laughed. "Okay, guys. Go back to your corners. Crystal, thanks for being Scott's ride. We'll come get you when we're done."

Crystal nodded and waved at her and Lydia, and the four of them went up to the counter. Crystal was alone in the back room, so she set up the pool balls and started shooting. After one game, she got bored and texted Derek.

**Bored. Come play pool with me?**

She went to the food stand and ordered some fries and a soda while she waited for him to text back.

**Can't. **

**Why not?**

**Going to hospital then getting my window repaired.**

She gaped at the screen and her fingers hit the call button. He answered on the second ring. She didn't wait for him to speak. "What happened to your window?"

"Argent," he growled.

"How bad?"

"Nothing too bad."

Crystal rolled her eyes but let it go. "What are you going to the hospital for?"

"The driver saw something. I want to know what he saw."

"Let me know if he says anything."

* * *

Stiles's Jeep was parked by the side of their house. "Wonder what he wants," Scott said. Crystal's phone beeped.

**Driver's dead.**

Crystal grimaced. "I think I know." She let Scott get out then floored it to the Hale house to talk to Derek. He opened the door when she pulled up.

"So, he's dead." She sat down cross legged on the porch. "Did he say anything before he died?"

"He knew my name. He said he was sorry." Derek leaned against the doorframe.

Her brow furrowed in concentration. "Did he know your first name, last name or both?"

"Just Hale."

"So he was feeling guilty." She looked up at him. "He was the insurance investigator after the fire. He's the reason we never got compensation."

Derek's eyes narrowed, but they were interrupted by Scott running up the steps. Derek straightened.

"I know what you did!" Scott cried.

Crystal rolled her eyes. "Here we go again," she murmured.

"I didn't do anything," Derek told him.

"You killed him!"

Derek shook his head. "He died."

"Like your sister?"

Crystal sucked in a breath.

"Laura was missing. I came here and found her in pieces."

"I think you killed them both."

"All right, enough!" She rose and punched both of them on the shoulder. Derek raised his eyebrows at her, which she ignored. "Scott, Derek didn't kill anyone. And you didn't kill the bus driver."

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because I trust both of you. If you two say you didn't kill anyone, I believe you. The bus driver died. That's nobody's fault but the Alpha's."

Scott frowned. "Alpha? You mean there's another werewolf?"

"You and I are Betas. Alphas are more powerful than either of us. My sister came here looking for it and now I am, too. But I don't think I can do it without you." Derek looked at Scott seriously.

"Why me?"

"Because he's the one that bit you. You're part of his pack, Scott, and it's you he wants."

* * *

**:) Thoughts? OH! I saw last night's episode- I don't get MTV, so I had to wait for it online. O MY GOD! I could not believe it. *cross fingers* PLEASE don't be lying, Peter. **


	5. Hunting For A Bullet

**It's me again with another update. :) I hope you enjoy the twist I put on this chapter.**

* * *

"Wake up," Scott hissed, shaking Crystal's shoulder at nearly three in the morning.

She groaned, keeping her eyes firmly shut. "What? Don't tell me you got Derek arrested again."

"No. There's another hunter in town."

"Great. This is definitely important enough to wake me up in the middle of the night. Not." She rolled over and spoke to the wall. "We can talk about it in the morning."

"She was talking to Mr. Argent." Scott ignored her attempts to make him leave. "She said something about forty-eight hours."

Crystal's sleep fogged brain started to clear a little, and she sat up. "What did you say?"

"I said the hunter said somebody had forty-eight hours to live."

"Tell me everything."

"I heard a wolf howl, and I went to check it out. I was around the warehouses when I heard a gunshot. Then Mr. Argent shows up and they start arguing. She told him that she saw two werewolves. Mr. Argent got upset and said something about one leading them to the other. The woman said she can't help him kill either of them if one of them kills her first. Mr. Argent asked how long, and she said forty eight hours tops."

Crystal got a bad feeling in her stomach. "She shot a werewolf?"

He shrugged. "I think so. I didn't see anyone, though."

"We need to call Derek."

* * *

Crystal watched the clock anxiously. She hadn't been able to sleep after Scott told her the news. She had tried getting hold of Derek several times on several different phones throughout the day, but either his phone was dead or he was ignoring everyone. She didn't want to think of a third possibility.

"Braddock," Finstock shouted. "You have somewhere you need to be?"

"Anywhere but here, coach," she said without thinking. Crap, damage control. "No offense to you, but school just isn't agreeing with me today."

Finstock laughed, yelled at her for a bit, and made her summarize the reading from the last two nights. As soon as the bell rang, Crystal was the first one out the door. She raced through the halls, shoving past students and teachers until she reached her car. Her hands were shaking as she tried to unlock her door. It took her too long to fit the key in. She was supposed to drop Scott off at Allison's for a study date—she highly doubted any studying would get done—and then she was free to go find Derek.

Stiles's Jeep was moving slowly in front of her. Suddenly, he slammed on the brakes. Crystal did the same to avoid running into him. Scott had fixed the door not even two weeks ago, she was not going to have more car damage. She saw Stiles get out of his Jeep.

"This can't be good." She parked the car and got out as Scott ran in front of Stiles's Jeep. She rounded the hood and covered her mouth to silence her cry. Derek was on his knees beside Scott. His face was ghostly pale and covered in sweat.

"What are you doing here?" Scott asked.

Derek's gaze locked onto Crystal's. "I was shot."

"You should have called me. Didn't you get any of my calls?" She looked behind her as she heard drivers honking their horns.

Stiles jumped at her sudden appearance. "Why aren't you healing?" he asked.

"I can't heal. Different kind of bullet."

"What, a silver bullet?"

Crystal closed her eyes in horror, not noticing the warm tear falling down her cheek. It was a wolfsbane bullet. "No. Guys, get him in the Jeep. Scott, I'm taking you to Allison's. Find the same kind of bullet he was shot with."

Scott helped Derek into the car. "Why?"

"We have to find out what they used. Maybe there's a cure." She prayed there was a cure. Talia once told her that a handful of wolfsbane plants worked too quickly, killing the victim within minutes. Other types killed agonizingly slowly, and the cures were hard to get.

"Why should I help him?" Scott flinched as Crystal and Derek both looked at him. Derek's eyes were filled with pain, and Crystal's glare was ruined by her tears. Scott hated seeing her cry. "All right. Crystal, I need a ride."

"Way ahead of you." She looked through the window at Stiles. "Drive. I don't care where you go, just drive. I'll call you later." She pulled Scott in the direction of her car. Allison looked at them curiously but got back in her car. Jackson glared at Crystal through his windshield and revved his engine. "You so much as scratch my car, Jackson Whittemore, and I'm going to hang you by your balls off the flagpole!"

She peeled out of the parking lot after Stiles. It didn't take her long to reach the Argent house. "Scott, you have to find that bullet as fast as you can. Derek's dying."

He patted her hand and got out of the car.

"If you don't have it by seven thirty, I'm coming in to get you," she warned before driving off. She punched in Stiles's phone number.

"Crystal?" Derek answered. He sounded awful.

"I just dropped Scott off."

"Good." He was silent for a moment, and she figured Stiles was talking to him. "You can't take me there," he said finally.

"Take you where?"

"Hang on." He put the phone on speaker, and suddenly she heard Stiles.

"—take you to your own house?"

"Not when I can't protect myself," Derek replied.

"And what if Scott can't find your magic bullet, what then?"

"Stiles, Derek, stop. Let me think." She pulled over and parked, rubbing her temples. "Melissa's home, so that's out. Preserve's too close to Derek's house. Parking lots are out; someone's bound to notice eventually. What about your house, Stiles?"

"Oh, yeah, great idea. I'll just lug him up the steps," he replied sarcastically. "I'm not carrying a dying man into my house!"

"I'm not dying yet. There's a last resort," Derek said.

"Scott has nearly four hours to find the bullet." She started the car. "I need you to pick me up at my place."

Stiles grumbled but agreed before he hung up the phone. They got to her house at about the same time. Crystal locked her door and climbed through Stiles's side into the back. She turned to Derek. "Let me see."

Derek pulled back his sleeve. She covered her mouth and nose; the smell of decay filled the Jeep. She could see the through and through wound, and it was red. Really red. Crystal thought she was going to be sick just looking at it.

"Oh my God," Stiles gagged. "Is that contagious? Look, maybe you should just get out."

"I don't think it's contagious," Crystal offered.

"That doesn't help much."

"We need to go." Derek looked at Stiles. "Start the car."

Crystal looked out the window and saw Melissa looking down at the Jeep curiously.

"If you think you can boss me around, especially when you look like crap, you're wrong. In fact, if I wanted to, I'm pretty sure I could drag you out of this car and leave you here."

"How would you explain that to Melissa?" Crystal gestured to Derek's arm. "She would take him to the hospital, which could get ugly for everyone."

"It's already ugly," Stiles retorted.

"Start the car. Or I'm going to rip your throat out with my teeth."

Stiles looked between him and Crystal doubtfully. "She wouldn't let you do that."

"Stiles, please!" Crystal begged. Stiles pursed his lips but started the car. Crystal turned around as they left and saw Melissa in the doorway. She smiled and waved, hoping she didn't look as horrified as she felt. She texted Scott, hoping he found the bullet.

* * *

"It's seven thirty," Crystal muttered, checking her phone for the hundredth time. "What's taking him so long?"

"He's with the Argent girl; I doubt he's thinking about much else," Derek breathed.

Crystal grimaced at the mental image and hit Stiles on the arm.

"What was that for?"

"I heard you two earlier. If I find out he's not looking for the bullet because he's trying to get into her pants, I am going to make sure you can never walk properly again," she threatened uselessly. She should have never left him alone. "I need my car."

Stiles turned around. "No. You can't leave me here with him."

"Stiles, we have to get that bullet. If you don't hear from us by eight, take him to Deaton's. He'll be gone by then. There's a spare key in a box behind the dumpster." She glanced at Derek. He was leaning back against the seat, eyes closed. She was doing her very best to ignore the smell. "Derek." He opened his eyes, turning his head to look at her. She barely recognized him. The Derek she knew was either fun and full of humor or dark and snarky. Words failed her.

He brought his hands up. _Be careful,_ he signed. She nodded.

When she got to the Argent house, she found Scott, Allison, Mr. Argent, and another woman outside. They all turned to look at her as she pulled up. Crystal got a good look at the mystery woman. Her heart stopped beating. Her breath froze in her lungs. No. It couldn't be her. She couldn't be here!

_A woman looked up at the house as it burned around them. Flame light danced across her face, allowing Crystal to get a good look at her. Her hair was a curly brownish-blonde. A pendant hung around her neck, glinting silver. She smiled, and Crystal saw her teeth. Cora coughed beside her, pulling her attention away from the window, but she would always remember the woman who watched the Hale house burn and smiled. _

This woman was the reason her parents and most of her friends were dead. She was the reason Crystal had nightmares and panic attacks and was held back a year. Now, the woman was right in front of her. And Crystal was terrified.

Someone tapped on her window. Crystal nearly jumped out of her skin. She unrolled her window and turned her head toward Scott, never taking her eyes off the other woman.

Scott frowned at her worriedly. "You okay?" he whispered, grasping her hand. She didn't even realize she was shaking. She drew in a deep breath and let it out shakily.

"Do you have it?"

"No."

"Damn it, Scott."

"This place is a virtual gun store, how am I supposed to find one bullet?"

Crystal's fingers reflexively tightened over her necklace. "Fine." She tucked it into her shirt and got out of the car as Mr. Argent walked over. "Hi, Mr. Argent."

"You're Crystal, right?" At her nod, he continued. "Your brother was just about to join us for dinner. Would you like to stay?"

Crystal debated. On one hand, she'd be stuck sitting at a table with the killer of her friends and family and several sharp objects. But if she didn't take that chance, Derek would die.

"That's very kind of you." She smiled. "If it's not too much trouble."

"Not at all," the woman said. "Come in."

"Crystal, this is my sister Kate," Mr. Argent introduced.

"Hi."

And that was how Crystal got stuck sitting between Scott and Mr. Argent at the dinner table. Allison sat on Scott's other side at the end, followed by Mrs. Argent and Kate.

"Would you like something to drink, Scott?" Mrs. Argent asked. The woman seemed friendly, but there was something in her eyes that set Crystal's internal alarms off.

"No, thanks," Scott stuttered. He had a full glass of water right in front of him.

"We could get you some beer," Mr. Argent offered. "Or tequila."

If Crystal drank, she would have taken him up on his offer.

"Dad," Allison groaned. "Really?"

"How about you, Crystal?" Mr. Argent asked.

"Actually, yes." Scott tensed, but Crystal smiled sweetly at Mr. Argent. "Do you have any soda?"

Kate laughed. "She got you there, Chris."

"So neither of you drink?" he asked as Mrs. Argent came back with a cold unopened Coke can. Crystal popped it and took a swig as Scott answered.

"No. We're not old enough."

"Doesn't seem to stop most teenagers."

"It should."

Kate laughed again. "You might just survive the night after all, kid."

"Scott's mom's a nurse. We've visited her at the hospital and seen what happens when any drunk driver gets into an accident," Crystal added. She decided to take some of the pressure off of Scott for now.

"Scott's mom? But I thought you two were siblings?" Mrs. Argent looked between them in confusion.

"Long story." Crystal dug into her food, cursing herself for opening that up for discussion. Her phone rang. Everyone looked at her as she froze. "Oops. Sorry." She peeked at the caller I.D. Stiles. "I'm really sorry. It's Melissa, she's probably wondering where we are. Can I take this?"

"Sure, sure. Go ahead." Mr. Argent dismissed her, turning his attention back to Scott. Crystal ducked outside and answered it.

"Stiles, I'm sorry. I got dragged into a family dinner with Scott."

"He's starting to smell," Stiles complained.

Crystal frowned. "I know. I'll try to hurry dinner along, but I doubt we'll be out for another twenty minutes at least."

"Did Scott find the bullet?" Derek asked.

"No. I haven't had a chance to look around yet; if it's a special bullet, she probably keeps it close to her."

"If you don't find the bullet—"

"I know," she snapped tersely, hanging up before Derek could paint an even more disturbing picture in her mind. When she was close enough, she heard Scott say, "I think I will have that shot of tequila now."

"Scott McCall, you had better be joking," she warned as she walked back in. "I really don't want to have to explain why you have fork marks in your leg."

Scott chuckled. "Yes, I was joking. What did Mom want?"

"She just wanted to make sure we picked up everything we need before we go home."

Dinner was quick and quiet after that. Crystal stretched. "Well, that was wonderful. We should be going."

"You have to stay for dessert," Kate protested. "I want to know more about you both."

She saw no way of getting out of this. "All right." She turned to Mr. Argent. "Where's your bathroom?"

"In the guest bedroom at the end of the hallway."

"Scott, be nice and help them set out dessert." Crystal gave him a significant look when he sent her a look of disbelief.

She closed the door softly behind her and looked around the room. A black bag lay under the bed. She dragged it out, unzipped it, pulled out a black box, and opened it. Holy crap, the woman carried an entire arsenal with her. In the top center there was a smaller wooden box. She picked it up and read the lid. Aconit napél bleu nordique. Off the top of her head she recognized the French word for blue. She could pretty much figure the first word. Aconit, most likely French for aconite, also known as wolfsbane.

She took a picture, flipped it open and counted nine bullets. Eight now. She pulled one out and gaped. The thing was _long_. Who needed a bullet like that, anyway? Footsteps sounded in the hallway. Crystal hurriedly stuffed the bullet in her bra and put everything back the way she found it before going into the bathroom and turning on the faucet. She opened the translate app on her phone and typed in the words.

Nordic blue monkshood.

Crystal sent a text to Stiles. **Got bullet. Nordic blue monkshood. Getting out ASAP. **She turned off the faucet, opened the bathroom door and came face to face with Kate.

"Hi," she said.

Kate grinned at her, teeth showing. To Crystal it looked like she was baring them. "Hi. We were just getting started on dessert."

"Okay."

She led the way out of the room, nervous that she couldn't see what Kate was doing but keeping her ears wide open in exchange.

* * *

"Thanks for everything." Scott was as anxious as Crystal to get out of there, especially after Mr. Argent's story about the rabid "dog". He could smell a hint of wolfsbane under her shirt and knew she found the bullet.

"I'm so sorry," Allison apologized again. "That had to be the most awkward dinner in the history of family dinners-slash-interrogations."

Scott shook his head, smiling at her. It hadn't been her fault. "It wasn't. The worst was when my parents told me over dinner that they were getting a divorce."

Allison winced. "Yeah, I can see how that could be worse." She leaned in to kiss him. Crystal politely turned around. After a blissful moment Crystal cleared her throat, and Allison backed away.

"Before it gets even more awkward, we should go." Crystal's hand was on the doorknob. They were almost home free—

"Hold on," Kate said. Scott mentally groaned. How often would she stop them from leaving? It was like she knew. She looked at Crystal. "What did you take from my bag?"

Crystal blinked innocently, but Scott could hear her heart stutter. Mr. Argent walked in to stand next to Kate and surprisingly came to their rescue, sort of. "What are you talking about?"

"My bag was in the guest room. When I left, it was completely under the bed and when I came back, it was only partially under the bed. Crystal was the only one in there."

Crystal's eyes widened slightly. Scott could practically see her brain working.

"She didn't take anything," Allison told her aunt. Scott glanced at her quickly.

"_Something_ was taken," Kate insisted.

Crystal looked between Scott and Mr. Argent. Before she could open her mouth, Allison pulled something out of her pocket and held it up. "I was the one going through your bags." Scott realized what he was looking at and faced the door. And he thought this night couldn't get any more awkward.

"Okay!" Crystal yanked open the door, snatched the condom from Allison, threw it in Kate's direction, and shoved Scott out the door. "I think we should leave before Scott gets shot or something." She waved at the Argents.

Finally, _finally, _they made it to the car. Crystal handed him the keys with shaking hands. "Oh my God," she gasped when they were out of the driveway. "I thought we'd never get out of there. Now quick, drive to the vet's." She pulled the bullet out of her shirt and clutched it like a lifeline.

Scott grinned suddenly, realizing what the condom meant. Crystal grimaced. "Drive."

It didn't take them long to reach the vet's. Scott took out his key and unlocked the front door, frowning at a buzzing sound.

"What?" Crystal asked.

He pushed the door open. "Stiles?"

"Oh, thank God," Stiles whimpered. Scott's feet moved faster. Crystal moved silently behind him. He gaped at the sight before him. Stiles was holding a bone saw to Derek's arm. Derek's arm was streaked with red veins, and he was paler than a ghost.

"Stiles!" Crystal squealed. "What the hell?"

"You two just saved me years worth of nightmares." Stiles set the saw on the table and leaned forward shakily.

"Did you get it?" Derek asked.

Crystal held up the bullet. "What do we do?"

Before Derek could answer her, he swayed. Scott leaped forward to catch him and laid him on the ground gently.

Crystal racked her brain, hoping to remember if anyone had told her how to deal with a wolfsbane bullet wound. She was drawing a blank. "Derek!" she cried, tapping his face gently. "No, you can't do this." Not after all the trouble they went through.

Scott punched Derek in the face, which jolted him awake. Crystal had a feeling Scott enjoyed it a little. They helped him up and Derek grabbed the bullet from her. "Lighter." She rummaged in the drawers until she found one and handed it to him. He ripped off the tip of the bullet and tapped it on the table. Wolfsbane fell out. He swept it into a pile and lit it on fire. Sparks flew. Blue smoke rose from the ashes that he swept into his hands. He paused for a moment while the others watched worriedly before he rubbed the wolfsbane into his wound.

Crystal gasped. Derek fell to the ground, screaming in pain. "Scott, hold him!" She tried to grab his legs while Scott pushed down on his shoulders. Soon, the red veins receded and the bullet wound disappeared.

"That was awesome!" Stiles cried finally. He fist pumped the air. "Yes."

"How was that awesome?" Crystal asked as they helped Derek up. She untied the tourniquet around his arm.

"We saved him, didn't we?"

"Are you feeling all right?" Scott asked.

"Besides the lingering effects of the hours of agonizing pain, I'm fine."

Crystal wrapped Derek in a hug, ignoring his sweaty bare chest. His heart thumped against her ear, letting her know that he was alive. Derek stiffened. "Don't do that again," she whispered.

"What, get shot by a hunter? I wasn't planning on it."

Crystal nodded and released him. "You have no idea what we went through to get that bullet. I don't want to have to do it again."

"All right," Scott cut in. "We saved you. Now will you leave us alone?" He glanced at her. "_All_ of us?"

She turned around. "I'm not a child, Scott. You can't keep me from seeing whoever I want to see."

"You make it sound like you're dating," Stiles chuckled awkwardly. Derek and Crystal glared at him. "Glad to see you're both feeling better."

"If you don't I'll tell Mr. Argent everything."

"No, you won't," Crystal said coldly. She picked up Derek's shirt and tossed it to him. He pulled it on as she spoke. "Because if you do, we are all dead. She doesn't discriminate. She doesn't care if you're a werewolf who's killed or a werewolf who hasn't, or if you haven't shifted yet, or even if you're a thirteen year old human who just happened to be at the Hale house almost every day."

"What are you talking about?" Scott asked over Derek's low growl.

Crystal exited the room, grabbing Scott's wrist as she passed. Derek followed close behind.

"Where are you guys going?" Stiles called. "Guys?" The door opened and shut, leaving Stiles alone. "Okay, I guess I'll just clean up then."

* * *

Crystal parked in front of the entrance to the long term ward at the hospital.

"What are we doing here?" Scott asked.

"We're here to see Peter," Crystal told him. He knew about Peter from some of the stories she told him, but she had never told Scott exactly what had happened to him after the fire.

Derek led them to Peter's room, even though she could probably walk these halls in her sleep.

"Don't let Jennifer catch us," she warned quietly. Derek shot her a look, and she shrugged.

"This is Peter?" Scott looked at the man in the wheelchair, stunned. Peter Hale hadn't moved when they entered.

Crystal crouched down next to his wheelchair. "Peter Hale. Brother, uncle, father all rolled into one amazingly sarcastic and brilliant package."

"Is he a werewolf, like you?"

She grabbed Peter's hand and squeezed gently.

"He was," Derek corrected softly. "He and my mom are the reason Crystal knows what she does about us." He sighed. "Six years ago, while Laura and I were at school, the house caught fire."

"It was arson," Crystal corrected. "I was there; I would know. I saw her. The house was burning, everyone was screaming, and she just stood outside. She was smiling."

"_She was watching it burn, and she was smiling_," Scott quoted her.

"We can't trust the Argents," Derek told him, spinning Peter's chair so Scott could see the other half of his face. It was covered in burn scars. "They did that to him. And one day, your girlfriend will do the same thing."

"You don't know that," Scott protested.

"They say they follow a code. I don't know if they do or not, but Kate definitely didn't." Derek's face was hard. Crystal glanced at him, confused. How did he know Kate Argent?

"_Kate Argent_ set the fire?"

"What are you doing?" a voice asked from behind them. Crystal grimaced and rose. "You're not supposed to be in here."

"Technically, I'm allowed access around the clock," she told Jennifer, glaring.

Derek grabbed her arm warningly. "We were just leaving." He pulled Crystal along with him, and Scott followed. Crystal shook him off when they got outside and drove them all home.

"Do you want me to drive you home?" she asked Derek when they pulled up outside the McCall house. Scott went inside.

He shook his head. "I'll run."

Her head fell onto the steering wheel tiredly. "We can't let them know about Scott. They'll kill him."

He could see she had no intention of moving, so he got out and opened her door for her. She finally stood with the door between them.

"You should go," he told her. "Unless you want me to carry you inside."

Crystal groaned, shaking her tawny curls. "That'll just give them more material. Where Stiles ever came up with the idea that we were dating, I have no idea."

Derek rolled his eyes. "It didn't help that you said Scott couldn't stop you from seeing me."

She slapped him playfully. "Well, he can't. I'm nineteen years old. If anything, they should listen to me." She closed and locked her car. "Night."

* * *

**And there you have it: chapter 5. **


	6. Parent Teacher Conference

**This chapter will be shorter because, let's face it, I had no way of getting Crystal to the Hale house for the Kate/Derek confrontation. Plus, The Tell isn't my favorite episode.**

* * *

Kate handed Allison a box. "It's an early birthday present. An apology for being such a bitch last night."

"No," Allison protested, but Kate cut her off.

"I was horrible, accusing your friend and boyfriend's sister of stealing."

_Well, maybe a little_. Allison opened the box and gasped in delight at the silver pendant. "It's beautiful."

"It's a family heirloom."

Allison took it out and examined it. It had a wolf in the middle, with what looked like a sun and a stream in the corners. "It reminds me of Crystal's necklace."

"Crystal's got a necklace like this?" Kate asked curiously. Allison didn't see the predatory look in her eyes.

"Yeah, I think so. I mean, I haven't seen it up close, but I saw it had a few wolves around a woman." She looked up at Kate. "What does the symbol mean?"

Kate helped her put the necklace on. "That, you'll have to figure out on your own." She laughed when Allison's face fell. "Trust me, some mysteries are worth solving."

After Allison left, Kate grinned wickedly. She had just found the perfect leverage to draw the Alpha and Derek Hale out of hiding.

* * *

Allison gasped as balloons flew out of her locker. Scott chuckled. "It's your birthday?"

She nodded reluctantly, stuffing them back in and shutting the door. "Please don't tell anyone. I don't know how Lydia even found out."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, hurt.

She bit her lip. "I don't want anyone to know. Because I'm seventeen today."

Scott shrugged. "So you had to repeat a year from moving around so much. Big deal."

Allison wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. When she pulled away, he had to force his brain to work again. "What was that for?"

"For being the first person to figure it out. That's not what I normally hear. Everyone else is like, 'Did you ride the short bus?' or 'Did you have a baby?'"

He gaped. "You hear that crap on your birthday?" She shrugged. An idea struck him. "Wanna skip?"

It took a while to convince her, but finally they were headed to her car.

"How did you know?" she asked.

The words flew out before he could think about it. "Crystal's nineteen. She was born in December, so she should have graduated last year. But after her parents died, she had to repeat a year." He covered his mouth with both hands as Allison's face filled with pity. "Don't say anything, please. She hates pity."

"I won't," she told him finally.

* * *

The whole school was talking about the attack on Jackson, even though virtually nobody knew what happened. Crystal hadn't had the chance to talk to Scott or Derek about it. Fortunately (or not, depending on who you asked) Jackson was all right. Lydia wasn't at school today.

Neither were Allison and Scott.

Crystal leaned forward. "Stiles," she hissed. "Where's Scott?"

Stiles shrugged, busy highlighting every sentence in his book. "Don't know, but he wasn't in English earlier," he whispered around the cap in his mouth.

Harris started walking down the rows. "As you all know, there is a parent/teacher conference tonight. Anybody who has a C or lower is required to attend. I won't name names, because the shame that you put yourselves and your parents through should be punishment enough." He looked between Stiles and Crystal. "Has anyone seen Scott McCall?"

They shrugged in unison. Luckily, the opening door saved them. Jackson slouched in and sat down tiredly. Harris placed his hand on Jackson's shoulder and whispered something. Jackson nodded.  
"Everyone start reading chapter nine. If by some miraculous chance you do manage to stumble your way to the end of the chapter, you can answer the questions at the end during class. If not, it's homework—not that any of you will do it, in which case I will have the pleasure of giving you a zero." He glanced at Stiles. "Mr. Stilinski, it's not a coloring book. Try putting the highlighter down between sentences."

Crystal glared at Harris's back as the highlighter cap soared into the air. Stiles leaned over to Danny. "Hey, Danny, can I ask you something?"

"No," Danny said.

"Well, I'm going to ask anyway. Did Lydia come to school today?"

"No."

"Do you know what happened last night to her and Jackson?"

Crystal shook her head fondly. Honestly, that boy needed a girlfriend.

"He wouldn't tell me," Danny admitted reluctantly.

"But you're his best friend!" she gasped.

"One more question."

"_What?_" Danny sighed, exasperated.

"Do you find me attractive?"

Crystal shot him a weird look. Something was seriously wrong with him. Maybe he was dropped on his head as a baby. Stiles leaned forward to hear Danny's response and fell off his stool. He flailed like a fish out of water.

"Stiles, you need help," Crystal whispered before turning to her textbook.

After class, they leaned over his phone so they could both hear Scott. "Where the hell are you?" they hissed.

"Out."

Crystal rolled her eyes. "Look, we know you and Allison ditched. By the way, really bad idea." They heard Scott stutter. "Right now, I don't care. Your mom and Allison's parents can deal with you two. But in case you missed the memo, Jackson looks almost as bad as Derek when he was shot, Lydia's not here, and another man is dead."

"You have to do something about it, Scott," Stiles added.

"Why me?"

"You and Derek are the only two in town who can fix this, and even Derek admitted he needs you." Crystal looked up in time to see a very familiar figure walking out the door.

"I'll deal with it later." The dial tone sounded.

They gaped at each other. "He just hung up on us," Stiles said in disbelief.

"I am _so_ not covering for him later."

* * *

**What were you doing at the HS today?**

Crystal turned off her phone and walked into the chorus room. As usual, she was one of the last people to arrive. She spent the next two hours practicing for the concert the next night, wanting to get her duet with Nick Fenley, a tenor, just right. She smiled at him as they left. "Good work today."

He nodded in gratitude. "Let's just hope we get that transition just right at the concert."

Crystal chuckled and turned her phone back on, which immediately started buzzing. Seeing she had two missed calls, a voicemail, and a text all from Derek, she excused herself to find out what was so important.

Derek's voice was clipped. "Call me."

She frowned and opened the text.

**She knows about you.**

That confused her. She figured the "she" had to be Kate Argent. Of course she knew about Crystal, they had been at the same dinner together. Fingers already dialing, she waved to Nick. The phone rang four times before Derek picked up. "Where are you?" he asked immediately.

"At the school. You okay?"

"Kate paid me a visit about an hour ago."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. She knows you're a pack friend." Something crashed in the background. "She could use you as bait."

Crystal came to an abrupt halt, fear surging through her. "Crap. How does she know?" How did she know where to find Derek? Did she know Crystal was also part of the Hale pack?

"Yeah. Whatever you do, stay away from her as much as possible."

"Way ahead of you." She pushed the door open and blinked against the light. "What were you doing at the high school earlier?"

"I was talking to Jackson."

"Ah," Crystal said. "You wanted to know if he saw anything."

"Yeah. He didn't."

Her phone rang with another incoming call from Melissa. "I have to go."

"Crystal," Melissa said as soon as she answered. "Are you and Scott still at the school?"

"I haven't left yet," she replied carefully.

"Good. The parent/teacher conferences start at six. You think you could just stay there, make sure Scott actually goes?"

Crystal's eyes bugged. "Uh, actually, Scott's not here."

"Where is he?" Melissa asked. Crystal could imagine her eyes narrowing.

"I think Stiles was talking to him last. I'll call him."

"All right." Crystal listened carefully for any signs of suspicion, but Melissa was either a really good liar over the phone or she believed her. "I'll be at the school at six. Try to get Scott there."

Crystal hung up and sighed loudly. "Scott, what are you doing?"

Her phone rang for the second time in five minutes. "Hello?"

"Hey, Crystal. Is Scott all right? He was supposed to be here an hour ago."

She cursed out loud. And she promised she wouldn't cover for him. "Sorry, Deaton. I had chorus practice and I just got out. Scott's fine, don't worry, but he has to stick around for the parent/teacher conference. He must have forgotten to tell you."

Deaton chuckled. "It's all right. Just making sure something hadn't happened to him."

No, but something was going to happen to him if he didn't show his face soon. "That's nice of you, Deaton."

"Scott's a good kid."

"That he is." He was also stubborn, an idiot, and a lovesick puppy. Or should that be wolf pup? "Anyway, I'll make sure he gets to work tomorrow."

"All right. Bye, Crystal."

"Bye, Deaton."

* * *

To pass the time, she did homework in the library. She needed to be careful or between the Alpha, Scott, and the Argents she would fall behind like Scott. That was not acceptable her senior year, especially since she had to be held back after the fire. Finally, she looked at her phone and figured Melissa would be in the conference. She decided to head home before anyone found her. She walked out the front doors and froze at the sight of Melissa and Mr. and Mrs. Argent on the steps.

"Oh, damn."

Melissa saw her and beckoned. Crystal moved to stand beside her. The adults all opened their mouths. "I don't know where Scott and Allison went, I don't know what they're doing, I don't know why, and I guess they took Allison's car since I drove Scott and my car's still here," she rushed. "And I don't know whose idea it was, but knowing Scott, probably his." She turned to leave and saw a familiar mop of brown hair getting out of a car. She hopped down the steps and ran up to them before the parents could get hold of them. "You two are so dead." They winced guiltily. "Say goodbye, Scott, because I doubt you'll be allowed out of your room for at least ten years."

"Allison!" Mr. Argent called. Crystal high tailed it out of there and was behind the pickup next to her car when something moved under her car. A soft growl sounded. She stopped and grabbed the woman beside her, who had almost passed in front of it.

The woman scowled at her. "What's your problem?"

Crystal held her finger to her lips and scuffed her foot deliberately. The growl got louder. She wondered if it was her imagination, or if the animal sounded scared. A paw poked out and retreated.

The woman screamed and bolted. "No, damn it!" Crystal gasped. The woman had set off a chain reaction by screaming and running. The animal darted out from under the car and Crystal saw a streak of tawny fur. A cougar. Someone else saw it run under another car and screamed, climbing as fast as they could into their car. Suddenly there was a mad rush, people rushing to their cars and pulling out regardless of the pedestrians.

She swung into the bed of the pickup, trying to keep an eye on the cougar. It was gone in all the commotion, so she turned her eyes toward Scott, Melissa, and the Argents. Allison was moving forward, trying to figure out what was going on. Mr. Argent was getting something out of his car.

Scott pulled Allison out of the way of a car. Honestly, it seemed like everyone was an idiot, but fear made people do stupid things.

"What the hell are you doing in my truck?" a man shouted.

She glared at him, wondering if he was scared or if he was just stupid. "Cougar running around, humans running around. I'd like to still be in one piece in the morning."

A gunshot rang out. Soon, everyone fell silent and calmed down, so she hopped out of the truck bed and went to find Scott. He was by Melissa, who was looking at Sheriff Stilinski's ankle.

"What happened?" she asked, barely glancing at the cougar now lying dead in the middle of the road even though she felt a stab of pity for it. Melissa and Stiles's dad jumped. "Is he going to be okay?"

"I got hit by a car. I'll be fine." He groaned.

"It's at least sprained," Melissa told him. "Scott, help get him to the car."

"I can do it," the sheriff insisted. He relented at Melissa's raised eyebrows. As soon as he was in the car, Melissa turned to them. "Go home. We can discuss your punishments later."

"Me?" Crystal yelped. "What did I do?"

"You didn't tell me Scott skipped school to hang out with his girlfriend."

Crystal's lips pulled into a snarl, and she grabbed Scott's arm. "Come on." She made sure to dig her nails into his arm deep enough to draw blood.

* * *

**And there you have it. That's The Tell.**


	7. Hunted

**I promised I wouldn't do it, and I did it. It's been exactly one month and one day since I last updated. I have no excuse. **

**Disclaimer.**

* * *

From the very back of the room he watched her in her burgundy dress, tawny curls pinned in a neat bun. She walked onto the stage like she owned it. He smirked. That was his girl.

The pianist began to play, and her alto voice rang out. The notes snaked around him, drawing him in. He listened as she sung of lost love, pouring her emotion into it. He wondered who she thought of as she sang. Her song just gave him even more resolve and fed the fire that burned in his heart, his animalistic side threatening to emerge. Luckily for everyone, both parts of him agreed not to ruin her concert.

* * *

A couple of nights later, Scott shoved open the door. Crystal smirked. "Wrong floor, dumbass."

"No, this is it. I'm sure of it."

"That's what you said about the last floor, too."

Scott pulled out the keys, laying his bag on the ground, and pressed the unlock button. He looked up with a grimace. Crystal raised her eyebrows. "Shut up."

"Was I right?" Chuckling, she dodged Scott's mock swipe at her and knocked into the bag on the ground. The milk fell and rolled between two cars. She pointed at the space. "I'm not getting that."

Surprisingly, the milk came rolling back toward them. It was leaking from three claw marks on its side. Scott looked at it, shocked, while Crystal looked in the direction where the milk came from. "Run." A growl filled the air. "Scott, run!"

He did, grabbing her arm and dragging her after him. "Come on." He practically flew down the parking garage with her in an iron grip. She stumbled, unable to keep up. She looked over her shoulder at the lean dark shadow following them.

"Scott, keep going. I can't keep up," she whispered. He gaped at her. "No. It's after you, plus I can take care of myself." Knowing that their attacker wouldn't hurt her was a bonus.

He pulled her down behind a car. "I'm not leaving you," he hissed.

"You _have_ to. No," she added when he opened his mouth to continue arguing. "Listen to me."

He growled, torn. Crystal pulled her jacket off and threw it past Scott's face, not waiting to see it land before she ducked around the other side and headed back the way they came. Car alarms sounded behind her. If she could just get to the door and get back inside, the "Alpha" would have to give up the chase. Heart pounding from exertion, she sprinted around the corner.

Two arms grabbed her and spun her around.

Choking back a gasp, she glared at Derek. He raised his eyebrows. "You're dead."

"I'm not the one you're supposed to be training," she reminded him softly.

Derek pointed, a silent _stay here_ motion, before taking off again. She scoffed. Ten seconds later, a ringtone pierced the air. If she could hear it, Derek definitely could.

"Tell me you're joking," she said to the air. Derek was going to skin him alive.

Thirty seconds later, she heard their voices—well, Scott's raised voice—as they approached her.

"I was fast, right?" Scott asked.

"Not fast enough."

"But the thing with the car alarms—that was smart, right?" the younger werewolf persisted, determined to earn a lick of praise from his elder.

"Until your phone rang," Derek said coldly. He stopped next to Crystal. She looked up at him, raising her eyebrows.

"And how did I do, coach?"

"If I had been the Alpha, you would be dead."

She huffed. For a human, she thought she had done pretty well. Scott stopped in front of them, clutching his cell phone.

"What happened the other night, Stiles's dad getting hurt and everything, that was my fault. I should have done something." Talk about overstating his abilities. How would he have gotten across the parking lot in the span of a second without tipping anyone off? "I need you to teach me how to control this," he continued.

"I was born this way," Derek snapped. "You were bitten. Teaching someone who was bitten takes time. Actually, I don't even know if I can teach you."

Scott looked determined. "What do I have to do?"

"Get rid of distractions." Oh, he wasn't going to like the next part. Derek snatched the phone from him, glanced at the screen, and showed it to them both. "You see this?" Crystal didn't even have to look, but she did anyway. Yep. One missed call from Allison. "This is why I caught you. If you really want me to teach you, get rid of her."

Scott's eyes widened, his gaze turning belligerent. "What, just because of who her family is?"

"Are you forgetting what they did to us?" Crystal gestured between herself and Derek. "To Peter and Laura and Talia and Mike and everyone else?"

"That doesn't mean—" Scott looked over at Derek, who held up his phone. "What are you—" Derek drew his arm back and smoothly tossed it at the wall. "No!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't Scott kind of _need_ a phone?" Crystal asked.

"I can find him."

"But Stiles, Melissa, and I can't."

Scott glared between the two of them. "He just broke my phone! How are you so calm about this?"

"Derek, will you get Scott a new phone?"

"Maybe."

"He needs it by next week." She turned to Scott. "There. Problem solved."

"I can't believe you!" Scott threw his hands up.

"You're getting angry. That's the first step. You wanna control this, learn how to shift, you use anger. You have to tap into a primal rage, and you can't do that with her around."

Scott's eyes narrowed. "I can get angry."

Crystal's eyebrows rose mockingly. "_That's_ angry? If so, you suck at showing it."

"Crystal, hush."

She bristled. "Don't tell me to hush, Derek Hale."

He ignored her and turned his attention back to Scott. "You can't get angry enough. This is the only way I can teach you. Can you stay away from her?" At Crystal's _are you an idiot_ expression, he continued. "At least until after the full moon?"

"If that's what it takes."

"Do you want to survive? Do you want to protect your friends?" Derek persisted.

Scott nodded definitively. "Yes. If you can teach me, I can stay away from her."

For how long was the question. Crystal gave it until the next day. She clapped her hands together. "Cool. Now that that's somewhat settled, Scott can take the groceries to the car. Derek, come with me." He shot her a questioning look. "You ruined our milk and Scott's phone. The least you can do is pay for a new bottle." _And we need to talk,_ she signed.

He rolled his eyes. Scott smirked. They both caught it and glared at the younger werewolf.

"Scott, groceries. Car. Now." She tossed him the keys and walked off knowing Scott would do what she told him. Thankfully Derek was at the door leading back inside. As soon as they were inside the store, she spoke. "You know he's not going to stay away from her very long."

"I give it two days."

She scoffed. "That's giving his willpower too much credit. I give it until tomorrow, tops." They stopped at the milk section long enough for her to grab a new bottle. "You want anything?" He shook his head. She went to the meats and grabbed a frozen chicken. It hadn't been on the list, but Derek needed to eat something besides fast food and expensive restaurant meals.

"If Scott turns by getting angry, what'll keep him from ripping our throats out?"

"Our?" he repeated.

"Well, I might be around. You know Stiles is going to try to help." She shrugged. "He doesn't trust you."

"I don't care if Stiles trusts me. I care if Scott is willing to do what I tell him."

"Which requires a certain degree of trust. So, how do we keep him from ripping our throats out?"

"He has to find an anchor."

She blinked. "An anchor?"

"Someone or something that keeps him focused, that helps him hold onto his humanity."

"What's yours?"

"Anger."

She laughed in disbelief. "Doesn't that sort of contradict itself?" Oh, wait. It was Derek. He was full of contradictions.

* * *

Scott snuck out that night after dinner. Well, not really—he told Melissa where he was going, and it was before nine so he was still able to go out. But he was going to Allison's in strict violation of Derek's instructions. What was worse was that Crystal was so wrapped up in homework and then watching _Into the Woods_ that she didn't even notice until Scott burst into the house in a panic. She paused the movie. "Scott?"

He didn't answer her. She trailed him, watching him lock the windows and the back door on the lower floor before he headed up the stairs. "Scott, what happened?"

"I saw him," he whispered.

"The Alpha?" He nodded, ducking into his mom's room. "Where?"

"Outside Allison's."

She smacked him on the arm. "What were you doing there?"

"Don't start." He checked all the other windows and finally went into his room. She moved to sit in his chair, but as her eyes adjusted she saw a dark shape already sitting in it, revealing someone else's presence in the room. She gasped just as Scott flicked on the light. He jumped when he saw Derek.

"Derek!" he cried. "You need to stop _doing_ that!"

"What did I say last time?" Crystal added. Her heart was still pounding.

Derek ignored their reactions. "Did he say anything?"

"Oh, yeah, we had a nice conversation about Crystal's concert and then we talked about the weather for a bit." Scott shook his head. "No. He didn't talk."

"Well, did you get any feelings off of him? An impression?"

Crystal looked at him curiously. "You can feel emotions?"

"All of our senses are heightened. We don't have to communicate with just words," he explained. "What kind of feeling did you get from him?"

Scott thought it over for a moment. "Anger. He was really angry."

Crystal tensed. "At you?"

This time he didn't hesitate to shake his head. "No. Not at me. But it was definitely anger, especially when he drew the spiral."

Derek rose. "Wait, the what?" His voice was terse. The spiral obviously meant something, but Crystal had no idea what that something was. She doubted Derek would tell her right away.

She was right. After Scott drew the spiral in the air, he asked, "What is it? You have this look like it's important or something."

Derek shook his head firmly, heading for the door. Crystal blocked his path. He huffed. "It's nothing."

"You can't do that," Scott huffed. "You can't ask me to trust you and then keep stuff from me."

"He's right for once," Crystal whispered softly, ignoring his indignant look. She looked Derek in the eye. He was worried. "We buried Laura under a spiral. It's important. What does it mean?"

"You don't want to know."

"Maybe not, but we need to know. Keeping us out of the loop isn't helping anybody." She stepped aside, opening the door. "There's some lasagna left over in the fridge if you want any."

He looked at her for a moment longer before disappearing. She closed the door behind him and leaned against it.

"What was that?" Scott demanded.

"We can't force answers out of Derek. He'll tell us eventually."

"But how long will that take?"

She shook her head. "I don't know."

* * *

"Your brother is an idiot."

Crystal looked over in Scott's direction. He was holding a textbook upright and slouching to hide his face behind it. "Oh. My. God."

"He does realize the book's making it more obvious, right?"

"Probably not," she scoffed. She shot off a quick text to Stiles. **What the hell? He looks like an idiot.**

**That's because he is,** was the prompt reply. She snickered. **He's trying to avoid Allison.**

"Dumbass." She looked at Boyd. "He's trying to avoid Allison for some stupid dare."

He rolled his eyes. A kid plopped down across from him and held out his hand. Boyd raised his eyebrows. The kid grumbled but pulled out his wallet and forked over fifty dollars. Boyd recounted the money before he took a set of keys out of his bag and handed them over. "Pleasure doing business with you."

The kid took off, and Crystal turned to Boyd. "What was that?"

He held up a second keychain with a few more keys than the first. "I rent out the spare keys to the skating rink to students for fifty bucks."

"Nice. How do you know they'll bring them back?"

"That's why I have the originals."

She looked over at Scott's table in time to see him take off. Allison followed him moments later. "I am so glad I'm not related to him."

* * *

"It's her."

Crystal stopped next to the boys, curiosity piqued. "Who's what?"

"Allison. In class just now, Coach was yelling at Scott and Allison held his hand and he calmed down," Stiles explained.

"So Scott found his anchor," she mused.

"Yeah." Stiles looked pleased, but Scott just looked confused. Stiles sighed at his best friend. "Remember the night of the first lacrosse game? You were freaking out and you heard her voice. It calmed you down. And after that, in the locker room, you didn't kill her."

"She keeps you human," Crystal added.

Scott shook his head. "No, not all the time. Cause whenever I'm kissing her or touching her—"

Crystal grimaced, having an idea where the conversation was heading.

Stiles shook his head and proved her right. "No, that's not the same at all. When you're doing that, you're just another hormonal teenage boy thinking about sex." Scott got a goofy grin on his face.

"Thanks, Stiles. Now he's thinking about it." Crystal shivered in disgust. "I'm out of here."

"No, I'm done now."

"So she keeps you focused—"

"You mean because I love her."

Three pairs of eyes widened, and Stiles and Crystal grimaced at Scott's happy puppy look. "Now I _definitely _have to go, before he goes and finds a boom box or something."

* * *

Scott and Stiles burst into the house later that night. "Crystal, we need you."

She smirked and put down her book. "That's flattering, boys. But one, I'm pretty sure that borders on incest, and two, I don't do threesomes."

They both looked like they would be sick. She snickered.

"No, this is important. I got to work earlier—I was late, I had detention—"

"Is this becoming a habit?"

"Stiles's fault. But anyway, I get to work and I find Derek beating Deaton to a pulp."

The mirth slid off her face. "What?"

"Yeah. He has this crazy idea Deaton's the Alpha."

"And what do you want me to do? It sounds like you stopped him, or you wouldn't be here."

Scott looked at her like she was dumb. "I have an idea. Come with us to the school."

She looked at them warily. "Why?"

"Because you're the only one who can put a leash on Derek," Stiles suggested.

She laughed disbelievingly. "I can't make Derek do or not do anything." Sure, the Hales had always seemed to give her more leeway than they did other pack friends, but that might have been because she was a child at the time.

"You got him to agree to get me a new phone."

"No, he said maybe. There's a difference."

"Whatever. The point is, we need you there to run interference." Stiles waved his hands through the air.

She sighed. "Fine. Where are we meeting him?"

"The school," Scott told her. She went upstairs and slipped on her shoes and on impulse threw the dog whistle around her neck. When she climbed into the Jeep, she found a pair of bolt cutters on the floor of the back seat. She held them up silently.

"We need to get into the school somehow," Stiles told her.

The car ride was silent. When they got to the empty school, they climbed out and Crystal turned to them. "Okay, boys, what's your bright idea?"

"It's a terrible idea," Stiles corrected.

"And you're still going through with it?"

"Do you have a better idea?" Scott asked.

"Well, it would help if I knew the plan," she snapped at the same time Stiles said, "Personally I'm all for ignoring a problem and hoping it just goes away."

Scott didn't answer her question, since Derek's Camaro pulled up just then. Derek climbed out and raised his eyebrows. "What is she doing here?"

"Running interference, apparently." She raised her eyebrows in return, practically a mirror image of Derek except for the fact that her arms were crossed. She didn't notice the boys looking not-so-subtly between them. "Mind explaining why you thought it would be a good idea to beat the vet to a bloody pulp?"

"He's the Alpha. Unconscious, he can't keep himself from healing."

"Oh, yeah. Great thought." She walked over and pulled open Derek's back seat door, climbing in despite Derek's warning growl and tilting Deaton's head to show them the slightly bleeding cut. "Human, and you could have killed him." She ducked out of the back. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe the Alpha was trying to throw you off his trail?"

From the look on Derek's face, obviously not. Scott and Stiles were halfway up the sidewalk by the time they broke their staring contest.

"Where are you going?" she called, irritated.

Scott turned back around. "Derek said I was connected with the Alpha. I'm going to see if he's right."

She ran that sentence over in her head, trying to find another answer than the one she kept getting.

"Please tell me he's not doing what I think he's doing."

"You mean is he going to try to lure the Alpha here?"

She snarled as ferociously as humanly possible. "I am going to _kill_ him. What the hell is he thinking? When the Alpha shows up, does he think we're all going to get out of here intact? Honestly!" She whirled on Derek. "And you. The Alpha's planting red herrings. Don't turn into the hound that gets stuck in a bog."

Derek leaned against the front of the Jeep. Crystal used his shoulder as support so she could hop up on top of the hood, purposefully not looking at him.

"The spiral is our sign for revenge," Derek said finally. "A few months ago my sister got a letter. It was a picture of a dead deer with the spiral carved into its side." Crystal grimaced. "That's what brought her back to Beacon Hills. The vet knows something."

"Deaton."

"What?"

"The vet has a name," she told him, staring at the doors the boys had gone through. "It's Deaton. Use it."

It didn't take long for something to happen. Crystal's ears strained as she heard a horrible sound. "Is that a dying cat?" she asked, appalled.

Derek snorted. "That's Scott trying to howl."

She covered her face with her hands. A second later, a loud rumbling filled the air. Her hair stood on end and she looked at Derek, disturbed. "That was Scott's howl."

It wasn't a question, but he nodded anyway. "I'm going to kill him."

"What the hell is he trying to do, let every hunter in town know where he is?" She leapt off the hood and landed nimbly next to Derek. The boys appeared, grinning madly.

"I'm going to kill both of you," Derek began.

"Congratulations. I think there were wolves in Europe who didn't hear you; why don't you try howling just a little bit louder?" Crystal snapped sarcastically, glaring at the two of them.

"Are you trying to attract everyone in the state here?"

"Not to mention the hunters. The same ones who tried to _kill_ us." She waved between herself, Derek, and Scott.

"I didn't know it would be that loud," Scott said, still smiling slightly.

"It was _awesome_," Stiles sang.

Derek scowled. "Shut up."

"Don't be such a sourwolf." He looked at Crystal. "Sorry, mommy."

She stalked toward him and whacked him on the back of the head. "This is not a joke," she hissed. They froze, grins sliding off their faces.

"Where is he?" Scott asked suddenly.

She shook her head in angry confusion. "What?"

He pointed. "Deaton. What did you do with him?"

They all turned. Sure enough, the door was wide open and Deaton was nowhere to be seen. An instant later, Derek was rising into the air and coughing up blood. A monstrous shape held him up and growled at them.

Crystal covered her mouth with both hands to keep her scream locked inside her. Scott and Stiles backed away slowly.

"Crystal, come on."

The Alpha threw Derek into the grass and stalked toward her. She couldn't move, couldn't _breathe_.

It was right in front of her. Her vision was going blurry, so instinctively she inhaled shakily. Red eyes stared into forest green flecked with gold. It moved slower than she would have expected it to, reaching a clawed finger from the hand not covered in Derek's blood to trace her cheek lightly.

"Run," she croaked. "Scott, go."

She could hear them arguing behind her. The Alpha lunged past her in their direction. They bolted for the doors, but the Alpha didn't follow them. Instead he returned to her side in time to watch her sink to her knees.

"Why?" she whispered.

"Why what?" His voice was deep and gravelly.

"Why are you doing this? Why did you kill Derek?" _Why are you leaving me alone?_

He ignored her first question. "I needed him out of the way. Don't worry," he added as tears dripped onto the pavement. "He'll heal."

Her head whipped toward Derek's body. "He's alive?" she breathed.

The Alpha's head shot up and he stalked toward the doors where Stiles was trying to slip out to reach the bolt cutters. Crystal rose and staggered over to Derek. There was blood everywhere. "Derek." She reached out and shook him roughly. "Derek!"

A grinding sound pulled her attention to the Jeep. The Alpha had ripped a hole in the hood and held the battery in one massive paw. He disappeared again, and a second later she heard glass shatter. She couldn't do anything to help Stiles and Scott now. She looked down at her necklace and the dog whistle that she had completely forgotten about. She picked the whistle up and blew three short, sharp bursts. Derek groaned. "You're okay," she breathed.

"If you call bleeding severely okay, then I'm splendid."

She helped him pull off his jacket and shirt, ripping the latter into strips and doing her best to wrap the wounds. He groaned when she helped him to his feet. It took a while, but eventually they made it to the car. She unceremoniously dumped him in the passenger seat, grabbed the keys from his pocket, and hurried to the driver's side.

"Where's Scott?" he asked as she pulled out of the parking lot.

"He and Stiles are in the school, trapped."

"How are you here, then?"

She shook her head. "I don't know. He was right in front of me. He _spoke_ to me. And then he just…disappeared."

She was so focused on the road and making sure they weren't speeding that she missed Derek's thoughtful frown.

* * *

The house was dark when she pulled the Camaro next to her poor car. Melissa had took the keys and told her she would only get them back for school the next week, so she was stuck either taking the bus or hitching a ride.

_Not important,_ she told herself and went to help Derek out of the car. It took another ten agonizing minutes to get him inside and upstairs. They both sighed in relief when he plopped down on her bed. They were silent as she cleaned him up and bandaged him again. Then, to keep herself busy, she went down, heated up the oven, and threw in a frozen pizza. Twenty minutes later she took it out and set it on the counter to cool while she straightened up the living room. She cut it, put two pieces on a couple of plates, and took them upstairs. Derek ate his quickly. Crystal took one bite of hers but it tasted like sawdust, so she gave her plate to Derek.

"Why aren't you healing?" she asked finally.

"I'm healing, it's just taking longer. Any wound inflicted by an Alpha takes longer to heal."

She nodded, then asked what was really worrying her. "Do you think they'll be okay?" Derek didn't say anything, which was answer enough. "What does he want?"

"He wants Scott in his pack." Turning his head, he elaborated. "When a werewolf joins a new pack, their loyalties can't be divided. So, to prove they're worthy of being in the new pack…"

"They kill everyone in their old pack," she finished.

"It doesn't have to happen that way, but most don't want to take that chance."

"So the Alpha wants Scott to kill Stiles?"

"Not just Stiles. All of his friends."

Her eyes widened and she grabbed her phone, dialing Stiles's number. It rang twice before he picked up. "Crystal!"

"Stiles! Are you okay?"

"Crystal, help!" Suddenly three voices were talking on the other end all at once, and she recognized every one of them.

"Hey!" Stiles hollered finally. It was silent for a moment. "Thank you," he continued.

"You okay?" she asked.

"For now." He lowered his voice. "You may want to kill Scott later, though."

"Tell me later. Right now, we have to get you out of there."

"Call the police!" Jackson demanded.

"We tried that," Allison reminded him. "They hung up on us."

"He's covering his bases," Crystal breathed.

"Look, just go to the police and tell this moron's dad that Derek Hale locked us in the school and is trying to kill us."

"Wait, what?" Derek's eyes flashed blue and Crystal's eyes darkened with rage. "Repeat that."

"Scott said he saw Derek Hale kill the janitor, and now he's trying to kill us," Lydia explained.

"Oh, I am definitely going to kill him."

Finally, Scott spoke. "Hush, hush," he hurriedly said. "He's right outside."

"There's a door out of the kitchen that leads to a stairwell," Stiles told them.

"It only goes up!"

"Up is better than here," Stiles said.

Crystal grabbed the keys to the Camaro. "Okay. I'm going to get your dad." She heard loud crashes on the other end before the line cut off.

"Would he kill the cops?"

"Highly doubtful."

She turned to Derek and pointed to the closed door next to her closet. "Bathroom. Anyone comes home that's not me, hide in there." She grabbed the empty plates, threw them in the sink, and left for the sheriff's station.

* * *

She pulled the Camaro to a stop a block away and jogged to the station from there. When she opened the door, the very first person she almost ran into was Deputy Graeme. "Is the sheriff here?" Confused, the elder woman pointed in the direction of his office. Crystal brushed by her and burst into the office, where Stiles's dad was sipping what was probably coffee and looking at a file on his desk.

"Sheriff," she said as soon as she opened the door. "Stiles is in trouble."

Sheriff Stilinski was on his feet in a millisecond. "What happened?"

"I don't know all the details. Stiles called me from the high school. He, Scott, Lydia, Allison, and Jackson are trapped in the school with a killer."

"Come on." He was up and strapping his gun and badge to his belt, coffee forgotten. In all of two minutes, she was sitting in the passenger seat of a police car which was speeding down the road with a second police car behind it.

"What the hell are they doing in the school?"

"I don't know." Her phone rang. She dug it out of her pocket and hit speaker. "Stiles."

"Hey, Crystal."

"We're almost there." Sheriff Stilinski turned a corner.

"You got my dad?" Stiles sounded appalled.

"No, I planned on leaving you trapped to die a horribly gruesome death at school in the middle of the night." She rolled her eyes.

"Sarcasm is my thing."

They turned in front of the school. "All right, we're here."

Nearly an hour later, after they had all been questioned and Scott got dumped, they arrived home. Sheriff Stilinski explained to a worried Melissa what had happened, and she ushered them both inside. Crystal went directly upstairs to check on Derek. He was gone. She sighed and sent him a text.

**Car's a block away from the station. Get it before they find it. Keys are on my bedside table. Window's open. Stay hidden. **

She hesitated before adding one more sentence. **Hope you're okay.**

She sent the message, unlocked and cracked her window, changed quickly, lay down on her bed, and fell asleep. She would throttle Scott tomorrow.

* * *

**Well? **

**In case you didn't read my author's page, I started college this past week so until I find a nice balance for homework, shopping, activities, and writing, updates may take a while. **

**I'm thinking of taking the story AU either after season 3A or 3B. Season 4 just didn't agree with me. Thoughts? **


	8. Teen Troubles

**Made the before-a-month deadline! Woo hoo! **

**Disclaimer: Me no own.**

* * *

The next morning, and for the rest of the weekend, Crystal avoided Scott. She pretty much avoided Stiles too, but he had to go along with Scott's story otherwise everyone would have suspected something. At least, that was his reasoning when he visited Scott on Sunday night. She had retreated to her room and he explained everything through the door.

"It gets weirder," he said finally.

"How?" she bit out.

"When Scott was outside the Chem lab, before he heard Allison, he told me he was planning on going after you next, since the Alpha wanted his pack out of the way. But the Alpha wouldn't let him."

Crystal got up, strode over, and yanked the door open in one smooth movement. Stiles was leaning against the door for support, so he stumbled and flailed before regaining what little balance he had. She ignored that. "What?"

"Scott said the Alpha pretty much threatened him—if he laid one furry paw on you, the Alpha would rip him apart."

That didn't make sense. "The Alpha _wants_ Scott to be in his pack. He _needs_ Scott in his pack."

Stiles shrugged. "Apparently not as much as he wants you alive."

She shivered, thinking. "He was right in front of me. He could have done anything, but…" He had left her alone. Instead of ripping her to shreds or herding her into the school, he had told her Derek was alive, knowing she would get Derek away from the school—and herself, too.

"Maybe it's because he wants a female in his pack," Stiles suggested.

Crystal blinked, processing that, and then grimaced. "No. Gross." She had a thought. "I'll be back." Brushing past him, her hand hit something in his jacket pocket. She quickly picked it out, looked at the bottle, and slipped it back in as he started to speak. "Don't do anything that would get your dad in trouble." She had a feeling they wouldn't finish half the bottle of Jack. Plus, it would teach them a lesson if they had a hangover during Harris's class.

Leaving Stiles dumbfounded, she climbed into her car—thankfully she had her car privileges back—and drove toward the abandoned train station where Derek was currently hiding out. She opened the door. Not ten seconds later, Derek appeared. He was shirtless, allowing Crystal to walk around in a circle to examine his back. It was almost fully healed. Only puckered scars remained.

"Feeling better, I see," she began.

He shrugged. "I told you I'd heal."

"Good." She led the way inside until she found a lawn chair and a table. She sat down and it collapsed underneath her. Derek's only sign that he found this funny was his slightly upturned lips, but he helped her to her feet. She grimaced at him. "Not funny. You need new chairs in this place."

"I don't need chairs."

"Whatever. It turns out that Scott told Stiles something interesting." She watched him for the faintest twitch as she continued. "Apparently, the Alpha wouldn't let Scott kill me. As Stiles put it, if Scott lay one furry paw on me the Alpha would rip him apart." _Gotcha_, she thought as a shot of realization shot through Derek's eyes. "Spill."

He didn't say anything.

"Stiles has a theory that he wants me in his pack too, but that doesn't explain why he hasn't bitten me already."

Derek snarled silently, face twisting. His eyes dropped to her necklace quickly. Crystal followed his gaze. "What, he didn't hurt me because I'm pack friend?"

A memory flashed before her eyes, and another puzzle piece fell into place.

_She traced her fingers over the necklace, eyes wide with excitement and wonder. "What is it?"_

"_It's a necklace," Peter said sarcastically. "You know what they look like; you have several."_

_She rolled her eyes along with half the room, but unlike most of the others a smile played at the corners of her mouth. _

"_It's a sign to other werewolves that you're under our protection. See the wolves?" Talia pointed. "Those are members of the pack."_

"_It's basically a hands-off sign," Mike Hale said, holding up his arm with a leather wristband. Light glinted off a similar design lined in gold. _

_Crystal grinned. "I take it Peter isn't one of the adorable pups?"_

_Peter snorted, flashing sharp teeth. "Not a chance." _

"_What keeps others from breaking the rule?"_

_Cora spoke up. "If they hurt you or try to turn you without permission, Mom'll be mad."_

"_Heaven forbid anyone get on Talia Hale's bad side." Peter smirked. Mike coughed into his fist. Talia raised her eyebrows at both of them. _

"_It won't matter," Laura told her. "If that happens, we'll help you. Pack protects its own."_

"_We won't let that happen. No one with ill intent will get past us," Peter said. His eyes had lost their humor, honesty and determination taking its place. Blue eyes flashed for a moment._

_A warm happiness flooded her entire being. "Just don't die trying to keep me safe."_

_The werewolves shrugged, and Mike handed her another gift._

Either the Alpha didn't know the Hales were nearly all gone, or he respected their wishes. Maybe he thought she was friends with another pack. She wanted to toss that thought out the window, but they couldn't discount anything yet.

She groaned. "Well, as long as the Alpha doesn't want me hurt, I'm safe from him."

"For now," Derek added. "Scott and the others don't have that protection."

She nodded reluctantly. Neither did he.

* * *

Crystal didn't see Scott or Stiles on Monday until after school, so she wasn't all that surprised when Stiles came through the door. He had a duffel bag slung over his shoulder.

"Scott?" Melissa called.

"It's Stiles," he said as Melissa came down the stairs.

She looked at him funnily. "How…?"

He held up a key. "I had one made so that—"

"Oh, good. No more climbing through a window at eleven at night?" Crystal hopped up from the couch.

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Melissa pointed to the key. "It scares me, but it doesn't surprise me."

"It's Stiles." Crystal shrugged. "Nothing he does surprises me anymore."

Stiles pulled a face and let the bag drop to the floor. It rattled and clanked. Melissa pointed to the bag. "What's that?"

"School project."

Crystal chuckled slightly. Melissa turned to both of them. "He's okay, isn't he?"

"Scott?" Stiles exhaled. "Yeah, he's fine. Totally cool." Crystal sent him a look to keep him from rambling.

"He just doesn't talk to me anymore. Not the way he used to."

"He's had a rough week," Stiles said, just as Crystal scoffed and replied, "He's a teenage boy."

Melissa nodded slightly. "Yeah, I guess. Be careful tonight."

"You too," they chorused. Crystal was sure they had never meant it more.

"Full moon tonight."

Stiles's eyes widened. "Uh, what?"

"What does a full moon have to do with anything?" Crystal asked curiously.

"Brings out the crazies tonight. The E.R. gets really bad. It's actually where they came up with the word 'lunatic'." She waved and left.

The moment she was gone, Crystal looked at Stiles with raised eyebrows. "Scott's not home yet."

"Probably out with _her_." He headed up the stairs, leaving her behind. Something was wrong.

She was halfway up the stairs when she heard a shout. She ran the rest of the way, dread filling her. She swore someone was growling. "Stiles?"

He walked out of Scott's room with a grim, hurt look on his face. "Don't go in there."

She looked over his shoulder and saw Scott handcuffed to the radiator. His face was twisted into a hateful snarl. "Scott?"

Scott looked up at her, glaring daggers. "Crystal, get me out of here so I can hurt Stiles."

She got goosebumps. "No," she said firmly. She closed the bedroom door and looked to Stiles for an answer. "What the hell's gotten into him?"

"I don't know. He's been acting strange all day. He busted up Danny's nose at practice—"

"What? Is he okay?" If he wasn't, Scott was a dead man walking. Everybody loved Danny.

"Yeah, he's fine. Busted nose, but that's it. And he kissed Lydia."

She shook her head frantically. Scott would never do that. But it was the full moon, and on top of his already upset state, who knew what could happen. She had to talk to Derek.

"Keep an eye on Scott. Shout if you need me; I'll be outside."

Without waiting for a response, she fled the house, barely stopping to grab her cell phone. She walked just beyond the tree line before she made the call. Derek answered on the second ring.

"Derek, something's wrong with Scott." She twisted a curl anxiously around her finger.

"What happened?"

"He's not himself. I think the moon's affecting him worse this time. He threatened Stiles. He's handcuffed now, but—"

"I'll be right there."

He hung up on her. She inhaled, trying to calm her frantic heartbeat. Her eyes turned toward the moon. It was almost at its peak, rising sooner than she had expected. She hurried back inside. Scott was screaming in pain upstairs, which was both good and bad. It meant he was still in the house, but she and Stiles were stuck with him. Suddenly the screams stopped.

"No," she breathed. She turned the corner and nearly ran into Stiles.

"He's gone," they said at the same time.

"We have to find him," Stiles continued.

Crystal hit redial on her phone. It rang four times and went to voicemail. She hung up with a worried breath. "We can't do anything to stop him even if we do find him." She _really _needed to get some mountain ash.

Stiles led the way out the door and flailed to a stop. Crystal sidestepped him to avoid crashing and sighed in relief. "Derek."

Derek stood on the porch, frowning. "He's gone."

She nodded and he disappeared. Stiles blinked. "He's fast."

She laughed slightly. "Come on. We might as well give them a ride later."

"How—when—he's alive!" Stiles shot her a betrayed look. "And you didn't tell us."

She rolled her eyes. "Is now really the time for this?"

"Yes!"

"Fine. Yes, Derek's alive. No, he didn't kill anyone. Yes, he's on the run. Yes, I'm in on it. That cover everything?"

"Why?"

She threw her hands up incredulously. "He's on the run from the cops because of you and Scott, and they just happen to be led by your dad."

He shook his head. "Let's go."

They were headed toward the preserve when they saw the lights. Stiles paled.

"Stiles?"

"My dad," he breathed. "He was going out searching for Derek tonight."

Crystal turned completely to face him. "Stiles, your dad will be fine." He pulled over and jumped out of the Jeep. "Stiles!" She grumbled under her breath, yanked the keys out, and followed him.

"Has anyone seen my dad?" Stiles asked loudly. Crystal glanced over at the gurney being loaded into the ambulance. A charred hand hung out from underneath the sheets. She turned away quickly before she could dwell on it.

"Stiles? Crystal?"

She sighed in relief when she heard the sheriff's voice. Stiles hugged him tightly. "Dad."

"What are you doing here?"

"We saw the lights," Crystal explained. "And the gurney. What happened?" At his raised eyebrows, she huffed. "Right. Ongoing investigation."

"You two, get."

She waved nonchalantly and went to wait in the Jeep.

* * *

"That's Stiles?"

Kate nodded. "That night you came across the two betas, one was smaller, right?" Chris hummed in agreement. "Well, what if he wasn't just smaller; what if he was younger?"

She saw the wheels in Chris's head turning. "We have to be careful. Especially around her."

She scoffed. "Crystal Braddock is no problem."

"She's a pack friend," he retorted. Every hunter knew pack friends were dangerous. They had influence over at least one wolf, and if anything happened to the human, the wolf would come after the attacker with a vengeance. They had seen the carnage left behind after a pack friend was killed in Wisconsin three years ago.

The werewolves would do anything to avenge a pack friend, the humans who were easier to get to. Kate hid her malicious smile.

* * *

Stiles was sprawled on the floor and Crystal was asleep on the couch when Scott and Derek came in. Derek rolled his eyes at Stiles. Scott nudged his best friend with his foot. "Stiles, wake up."

Stiles jerked awake, making enough noise that Derek wanted to smack him. Crystal blinked. "Scott?"

The younger werewolf waved. "Hey."

That woke her up. In a second, she was in front of Scott, punching him on the arm with a solid _thwack_. "Hey? That's all you've got?"

"What do you want me to say?"

Derek moved to leave, but Crystal snagged his jacket sleeve without looking or hesitating in her conversation. How did she know? "How about, 'I'm sorry for being such an ass' or 'I promise never to ignore something like this on a full moon ever again'?"

Stiles yawned. "Or maybe 'I won't ever kiss Lydia again'?"

Crystal snapped her fingers. "Stiles, you're staying here tonight."

"Yep. My usual spot?"

"You know where the pillows and blankets are." When Stiles had disappeared upstairs, Crystal faced Scott. "You too."

He opened his mouth to protest. Derek raised his eyebrows at him. Scott looked between them and sighed. "It's like you two practice that." He went upstairs slowly, probably hoping to overhear their conversation.

"You can just as easily listen from your room," Derek said, looking in his direction until he heard Scott's bedroom door close and the two teenagers start talking. He nodded, satisfied.

Crystal let go of his jacket sleeve. "Thanks."

He raised his eyebrows. "I don't need Scott getting us killed."

"I know."

He pulled out the cell phone he had gotten before he was forced into hiding. Crystal took it curiously before her eyes widened in realization. "Scott's new phone." She smiled happily. "Thanks."

"Well, you were right. He does need a phone."

"He needs a _leash." _She stifled a yawn.

"You should get some sleep."

She nodded. "You can stay here tonight."

Staying in the same house as the two idiots who were the reason he was in hiding? Scott was obviously thinking the same thing, because he was suddenly at the top of the stairs. "What? He can't stay here!"

Crystal scowled at him. "Why not?"

"Because he's hiding from the cops." Thanks to Scott's dumbass move. "And what'll mom say when she comes home and finds him on the couch?"

Her eyes narrowed. "And whose fault is that? Plus, he won't be sleeping in the living room. He can sleep in my room."

Scott looked at her incredulously. Derek shook his head. He didn't want the hunters finding him here. Crystal huffed and went to the front door, opening it with a flourish. "Fine. If you change your mind, blankets are in the closet by the bathroom."

He nodded and left.

* * *

Crystal didn't hear from Derek again until Thursday night. She was dozing off on top of Harris's homework when a firm knock sounded on her dresser. Her head shot up toward the sound, heart leaping in her chest. "Damn it, Derek."

He very nearly smirked. "You need to pay more attention."

"I thought I locked that." She looked over at her window. It was closed. She thought for a second. "Scott's window." He nodded. "Scott!"

"What?" he hollered back.

"Get up here!"

"What?" His voice grew closer, and a moment later Scott and Stiles stood in the doorway, gaping. "What—how—"

"_Great _ use of werewolf senses," Crystal mocked, rolling off her bed.

Derek scowled. "Your bedroom window was open."

Scott cursed and disappeared.

"Why are you here?" Stiles asked.

He didn't answer until Crystal looked at him exasperatedly. "I need your help."

She rolled her eyes. Getting a straight answer around here was like pulling teeth. "What do you need us to do?"

"I need you to drive my car around town, keep the cops away from me."

"And the Argents," she finished. As much as she wanted to drive his car, she had a feeling there would be a lot of speeding involved.

"Wait, dude, what? Why are we gonna be driving your car around?" Stiles asked. Fair point.

"I need to talk to somebody," Derek said.

Curious. "Scott has to drive," she said reluctantly.

Scott appeared behind Stiles. "Wait, seriously?"

Stiles jumped with a slight gasp. "Dude, _stop that_!"

Derek's face twisted. "No. I'm only letting Crystal drive."

"And normally I'd take you up on that in a heartbeat, but if the Argents and the cops are gonna be tailing us, I'd rather have someone with superior reflexes at the wheel."

She wasn't a werewolf; she couldn't heal from life threatening wounds as fast as they could. Derek snarled. "I don't want him driving my car."

"Hey—"

Crystal held up a finger. "I'll be in the car. Stiles can get one of his dad's radios so we'll be able to avoid the cops."

Stiles threw his hands in the air. "You know, it would be nice if Stiles was included in this discussion." At Crystal's raised eyebrows, he added, "No problem."

"Thank you." She looked back to Derek.

After a minute, his eyes darkened and he pulled his keys out. "If he gets one scratch on my car—"

"You'll skin me alive, I know. I've heard it before." Scott's ecstatic grin spread across his face.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Scott was cruising through the streets near the school when an SUV sped in their direction, Kate Argent at the wheel.

Crystal cursed. "Floor it!"

Scott didn't have to be told twice. He pressed the gas pedal closer to the floor. The radio in Stiles's hand crackled to life. "Suspect escaping on foot. Repeat, suspect is on foot. We're in pursuit, headed northwest."

"The Ironworks," Crystal said. "That's the only place he can go."

The SUV's engine grew louder. "Faster?" he asked.

Stiles and Crystal looked over their shoulders. Stiles nodded. "Much faster." Scott pressed the pedal a little further down. "Scott, I don't think you truly understand the definition of car chase."

"If I go faster, I'll kill us." If he was lucky, he would die with them. If not, Derek would skin him alive and leave him for the Alpha.

"If they catch us, we're dead anyway!" Crystal protested. She turned around. "Or not. They're gone." Relief flooded him. Crystal leaned forward, anxiety wafting off her. "Get to the Ironworks, now. They know where Derek is."

A minute later, he pulled the car up beside Derek. Crystal threw open the back door. "Derek!"

Derek ran for the car, dodging Argent's bullets. Scott winced but drove off. Derek could deal with the car later.

"I thought you were supposed to be good at avoiding people," Stiles said.

"Damn it, I had him!" Derek smacked the back of Stiles's seat, bouncing him forward slightly.

"Who, the Alpha?"

"The Alpha was there?" Crystal's voice rose.

"Yes," Derek replied to both of them. "He was right in front of me, and then the freaking police just had to show up."

"Hey, they're just doing their jobs."

Scott felt Derek glare at him. "Thanks to someone making me the most wanted fugitive in the entire state."

"Okay," he sighed. "I made a dumbass mistake. Can you just let it go already?"

"Well, at least he admitted it," Crystal muttered. "What is it with you trying to get Derek in jail anyway?"

"How did you find the Alpha?" Stiles asked.

Scott rolled his eyes when Derek remained silent. "Can you try trusting us for maybe half a second?"

"_All _of us, not just Crystal?" Stiles turned in his seat. Scott saw him shrink back. "Or maybe just Crystal. You seem to trust her more."

"Because she's—" Derek stopped talking. Scott glanced in the rearview mirror. Crystal and Derek were having one of their sign language conversations again. Derek finally snarled. "Fine. Last time I talked to Laura, she said she found two things. The first was that there was this guy, Harris."

"Whoa, our chemistry teacher?" Stiles blurted.

Scott was surprised too. How did Harris tie into all of this? "What's so important about him?"

"No idea."

"All right, what was the second thing?" Crystal asked. Paper crinkled. "It's some kind of symbol."

"Let me see." Stiles took the paper from her and held it so Scott could see, too. He barely had to glance at it.

"Damn it."

"What?" Derek asked. "You know what that is?"

"I've seen it before."

"Where?" Crystal leaned in between the seats.

He hit the gas. "Allison's necklace."

Derek pulled Crystal back. "You need to get that necklace."

"I know." It would be a whole lot easier if she was talking to him, though.

* * *

"How the hell did he find out?" Stiles was quietly freaking out. Crystal rushed to catch up to them. Scott saw her out of the corner of his eye.

"I don't know. Hey, Crystal."

Stiles nearly tripped going down the stairs, but Scott grabbed his arm to steady him. Crystal frowned at them. "What's wrong? Who knows?"

"Jackson."

Jackson knew Scott was a werewolf? She cursed mentally several times over.

"Did he actually _say _it?" Stiles tried to clarify.

"Well, no." Crystal sighed, glad something was going right. Scott crushed that train of thought with his next words. "But it was implied."

"Maybe it's not so bad," Stiles said optimistically. "And even if he does, who's gonna believe him?"

"Uh, how about Allison's father?"

"Or her psychotic bitch of an aunt?" Crystal's mind was spinning.

"Okay, it's bad," Stiles conceded.

"Glad you agree," she muttered.

Stiles ignored her. "Does he know about Allison's family?"

Scott shrugged anxiously. "I don't know."

Stiles glanced over his shoulder at her. "Where's Derek?"

Crystal blinked at the subject change. "Hiding. Why?"

"I need to talk to him later. I have an idea, but it's gonna take some time and finesse to pull off."

She narrowed her eyes, wondering what kind of scheme Stiles was cooking up. Scott spoke before she could ask. "But we have a game tonight. Your _first_ game," he reminded Stiles.

Crystal gaped. "Wait, since when is Stiles on first line?"

"Since Coach had to fill some spots after the pinkeye epidemic." Stiles grinned. "I get to _play_."

"I'll be there." She turned to Scott. "Necklace?"

"I'll try to get it next class."

"Do or do not. There is no try."

As she left them, she heard Stiles say, "How come _she_ knows _Star Wars_ and you don't?"

* * *

"—girls are totally psychotic," Scott sighed.

Crystal leaned in right behind him and Stiles. "Well, maybe we wouldn't be psychotic if boys stopped being idiotic douchebags." She grinned madly as they jumped half out of their seats.

"Where were you? You weren't in Chem," Stiles said as she sat down next to him.

She shrugged. "I didn't want to deal with Harris, plus I was talking to Derek." He said he'd meet her at Stiles's house after school.

"Did you tell him I wanted to talk to him?"

She nodded vaguely, taking a bite of spaghetti to hide her smile. She had a feeling she would have to run interference, but she was curious. Stiles's plans were either incredibly brilliant or totally and disastrously moronic.

Stiles nodded. "Plan B then. Just steal the dumb thing."

Scott shook his head. "Can't we at least try to get to Harris?"

"You saw in class today. Dad has him under twenty-four/seven watch. No, the necklace is our best bet."

"Why even come into work then?" Crystal wondered. If she was under guard, she would be at home relaxing.

Stiles shook his head in disbelief. "It's Harris."

Scott stiffened, looking at something over Crystal's shoulder. She turned and saw Jackson leaning against the wall with an apple in his hand. She glared at him. "Ignore him, Scott." She demonstrated by turning her body completely so she wouldn't see him.

Scott's eyes widened fearfully. "He knows I can hear him."

"What?" Stiles raised his head, but Crystal pushed it back down.

"Distract me!" Scott begged.

Stiles flailed. "I can't think of anything."

"What do you mean, you can't think of anything?"

Crystal rose, pulling the boys with her. "Come on." She grabbed her bag and her tray and led the way out of the cafeteria. They were just out the door when Scott's eyes flashed. His hands clenched into fists, bending the metal tray and splattering food in different directions.

"Okay, dude, calm down. You can't let him do this to you."

"Don't let him win, Scott," Crystal snapped, dropping her stuff on the ground. He slid down the wall, and she crouched in front of him while Stiles went back inside to get napkins. "Focus. The most important thing right now is getting the necklace. We do that, we can find out what's so special about it. Then we'll go from there. One step at a time."

Stiles returned with the napkins. Crystal took some and went to clean up the mess.

"He's going to get close to Allison."

"Not gonna happen." Stiles slid next to his friend. "I'm sure Allison has better taste than that. You'll get her back."

"Brotherly bonding aside, you two want to help me clean up this mess?"

They looked at each other and sighed dramatically.

* * *

"Jackson!"

Crystal's ears perked at Lydia's voice. She was rarely upset with her boyfriend. She slowly turned her locker dial, trying to eavesdrop without making it obvious.

"This little text; it's not funny."

"No, I wasn't trying to be funny. If I was, I would have put a 'ha ha' at the end. And there's no 'ha ha'."

Their voices dropped momentarily. Finally Jackson spoke again. "I've decided to drop some of the dead weight in my life, and you're just about the deadest." She winced. Poor Lydia. They rarely spoke, but even the Queen B. didn't deserve to be treated like that.

She quickly grabbed her books and slammed her locker shut, trying to avoid the fallout afterward. She turned to leave just as Lydia shouted, "Seconds, actually. Seconds!"

Her voice betrayed her.

After Finstock's class, Crystal followed Stiles to his house. They hurried up the stairs before his dad could come out from wherever he was.

"You called Derek, right?" Stiles asked as he opened his bedroom door.

"Yeah." She followed him in and smirked at Derek lurking near the closet.

Stiles sat down and turned on his computer. "Well, when—"

"Stiles!" Sheriff Stilinski called.

"Yeah, d—Derek," he said, startled. Derek's finger was halfway to his lips to shush him. Crystal giggled softly and shoved Stiles out the door, shutting it behind him. She could hear them faintly.

"So? What does he want?" Derek breathed.

She shrugged. "No idea," She replied just as quietly. "But I have a feeling I might need to run interference." Plus there was no way she'd miss whatever Stiles was planning.

A second later, Stiles poked his head in. "Hey, Crystal, dad wants to talk to you."

Intrigued, she went to speak with the sheriff. Stiles ducked into his room and closed the door shut behind him. His dad looked at her questioningly. "Is he okay? He's acting a little weird lately."

She laughed. "It's Stiles. He's fine."

He chuckled. "True. Listen, I need to take care of something. Would you mind swinging by the high school about six tonight?"

She frowned. "Why?"

He let out a gust of breath, choosing his words delicately. "I may have found someone who saw the woman who burned the Hale house."

"Oh," she said faintly. She knew who did it. So why wasn't she telling the sheriff? It was like some part of her didn't want him involved. "I'll be there."

"I'll be outside the front doors. See you at six."

She nodded dumbly until he was gone. She opened the door and made a beeline for the bed, sprawling across it.

"What did he want?" Stiles asked.

"I need to meet him at the school tonight."

He shoved his chair back and stood over her. "You okay?"

"No," she admitted. "I should have told your dad about Kate ages ago." Why hadn't she?

"Good," Derek said. "We don't need cops getting involved."

It wasn't that. Her reasoning was darker. It was almost as if…she wanted to take out Kate Argent herself. Her fingers idly traced a pattern on the bed sheets.

Danny arrived just after four.

"Hey, Danny. I need you to trace a text."

Both Danny and Crystal blinked. "Wait, what's going on?"

_Stiles thinks we can trace Allison's text from the other night,_ Derek signed from his spot on the edge of the bed.

It took a minute for her to think.

"You want me to do _what_?" Danny asked.

"Trace a text," Stiles repeated.

_The text supposedly from Scott the night the Alpha locked them in the school?_ She signed. Derek nodded. _Smart._

"I came here to do lab work; that's what lab partners do."

"Please, Danny?" Crystal pouted slightly, even though she knew that wouldn't work. It hit her then. She quickly looked between the three males, sending Stiles a silent message. Derek was going to _throttle_ him.

"What makes you think I even know how?"

Crystal wasn't surprised when Stiles admitted to looking up Danny's arrest record. Was anything off limits for him? She was surprised to hear Danny had only been thirteen at the time, though.

"We're doing lab work," Danny declared firmly, dragging the spare chair next to Stiles's desk. Crystal lay down on the bed, reading the book on Derek's lap over his arm. It looked like it was a book on the different types of edible plants.

Crystal smirked shamelessly when Danny asked, "Who's he again?"

"Uh, that's my cousin. Miguel."

Derek looked over at Stiles darkly. She would enjoy this.

"Is that blood on his shirt?"

Crystal looked. Sure enough, there were a couple of blood spots. She glared at him. "What the hell," she mouthed.

"He—he gets these awful nosebleeds every once in a while. Hey, Miguel." Stiles turned his upper body around. "I thought I said you could borrow one of my shirts."

Still angry about the blood, Crystal smiled widely when Derek slammed the book shut and went over to the drawer, yanking off his shirt. She had to admit, he was well-toned.

"We both know you have the skills to trace the t—"

"Stiles," Derek snapped.

"Yes?"

"This." Derek yanked on the shirt in his hands. "No fit."

"Then try something else on." Stiles turned back to Danny. Crystal's eyes flickered over to the teen. He was watching Derek's muscles flex. _So_ worth the trouble Stiles would get in later. "Hey, that one looks pretty good."

She choked when she looked over at Derek again. He was wearing a rusted orange and blue striped shirt. His hair stuck up like someone had just run their fingers through it, and he had a fierce scowl on his face. As subtly as possible, she pulled out her phone, took a photo, and sent it to her email. "Didn't I get you that as a gag gift for Christmas?"

Gag gifts were the best.

"It's not really his color," Danny provided before Derek could rip somebody's arms off. Immediately the shirt was off. Derek hurled it at her head. She shook with silent laughter and stood on Danny's other side.

"You swing for a different team but you still play ball, don't you, Danny boy?" Stiles leaned back in his chair.

Danny looked between the two of them. "You are horrible people."

"Tell me something I don't know," she whispered as Stiles replied, "I know. It keeps me awake at night."

"About the text," Crystal started.

"Stiles!" Derek growled. They all looked over at a shirtless Derek holding up a balled shirt. "None of these fit."

Crystal didn't bother to hide her soft snicker.

"I need the ISP, the phone number, and the exact time of the text," Danny rattled off immediately. Stiles wrote the information down. Crystal kissed Danny on the cheek and went to fetch one of the sheriff's shirts, dragging Derek behind her so he wouldn't kill Stiles.

"What the hell," he hissed as soon as they were out of the room. "Were you in on this?"

She laughed. "I didn't help plan it, but did you see me trying to stop it? Oh, that was too good."

Derek's fangs flashed. "I am going to kill him."

"Not unless you want pictures of you in that shirt all over town," she immediately retorted. He glared at her, sending shivers down her spine. She raised her eyebrows, trying to play it off. "What? I grew up around Peter, Cora, Laura, and you; did you honestly expect me not to pick up a few tricks?"

* * *

**Another chapter complete. :D See you next time!  
**


	9. Alpha Revealed

**Hi, disclaimer: own nothing (except Crystal and the necklace), bye! *runs before you can throw me to the wolves***

* * *

"All right, I'm out," Crystal announced. Stiles waved her away, looking over his shoulder nervously. What would Derek do without a buffer between them? It was a good thing Danny was still there. He had a feeling he'd pay for his little scheme eventually, but if it helped them find out who was working with the Alpha it would be worth it.

"There," Danny said. "The text was sent from a computer."

Stiles leaned closer, read the name, and recoiled. He nearly hit Derek's bicep.

"Registered to that account name?" the werewolf asked.

Danny nodded.

"No. No, no, that's not right. It can't be," Stiles protested. But the evidence was staring him in the face. The text was sent from the account of one Melissa McCall. He glanced at Derek. "It's a good thing Crystal left when she did."

* * *

Crystal followed Sheriff Stilinski inside the school. "Who are we meeting here?"

He remained silent until they stopped in front of a horribly familiar door. "Adrian Harris."

She froze. No. That didn't make any sense. If Harris was involved, the Alpha would have killed him by now. "What?"

He opened the door and dismissed the officer inside with a nod of his head. Crystal barely noticed Greg's slight pitying smile, but that was a good thing. If she had been paying more attention, she probably would have snapped at him. She hated pity. She got enough of that after the fire.

"Mr. Harris," Sheriff Stilinski greeted.

"Sheriff." Harris looked up from his papers. "Ms. Braddock." His eyes filled with guilt.

"You know why we're here. Laura Hale came to see you before she died. Derek Hale paid you a visit. Now you're going to tell me why."

He slid a piece of paper toward Harris. Crystal picked it up before they could protest. It was a list of names all ending with 'Harris'.

"I don't get it."

Harris sighed. "Does she really have to be here for this?"

"Yes," Sheriff Stilinski said firmly. "She needs to know this."

Harris took the paper. "This is a list of fake identities I've used. One night I met a girl. In my defense, it was six years ago, before I got sober."

Gross. She didn't need to know about Harris's sex life. Even the mere thought made her want to be sick. Sheriff Stilinski sighed. "How about we just focus on the details?"

"I met her at a bar. We had several drinks. She asked me what I do and she kept asking questions." Wonder lit up Harris's face. "Do you know what that's like, to have someone actually _interested_ in chemistry? After staring at all these vacant faces, day after day—"

Crystal glared at the teacher. The sheriff interrupted before she could snap. "Details," he reminded Harris.

"Like I said, we talked. Well, I talked. She listened. It was all very fascinating."

A bad feeling settled in Crystal's stomach. "What did you talk about specifically?"

"How you could melt the lock of a bank vault off. How you could dissolve a body and get away with murder."

Chills ran down her spine. The sheriff finished the list. "How to start a fire and get away with arson."

"And none of this sounded the least bit suspicious?" she snapped, trembling with pent up energy.

Harris couldn't meet her eyes. "I was drunk. She was very flattering." Here it was. The reason Harris was always nice to her compared to the rest of the student body. "A week later the Hale house burned."

"And my friends and family with it."

Sheriff Stilinski put his hand on her shoulder. "You know, you could have said something."

"And be considered an accomplice? It would have ended my teaching career."

A deathlike hiss emitted from Crystal's throat. "Your _teaching career_ is more important than the lives ruined that night? Do you need a list? 'Cause I can give you one. First, there was Derek and Laura. They lost their whole family in one blow. Talia and Mike Hale. Jessica and Daniel Braddock." As she spoke, their faces flashed in her mind. "Serena, Talia's younger sister and her husband Jeffrey. Their twins Helena and Heather." She felt her stomach twist as she thought of the girls that had come over to celebrate Christmas. The next sentence fell from her lips unwittingly. "They were _four_." Tears fell as she remembered the beautiful little girls who had made everyone smile, even drawing a genuine grin from Peter. "Cora was ten. Peter and I were lucky to even make it out alive, but he's a vegetable now." Crystal's mouth twisted into a sneer Peter would have been proud of. "And you couldn't help find the person who killed them because you were afraid you would lose your _job_."

By now she was inches from Harris's face. She could see the guilt and fear in his eyes. Before he could reply, Sheriff Stilinski pulled her back. "That's enough." He ignored her scowl. "Did she give you a name or tell you where she was from?"

Harris shook her head fervently. "No. Laura Hale asked the same thing. I'll tell you what I told her." He started sketching. Crystal didn't have to look down to know what it was. "That's the symbol on the necklace she was wearing," Harris explained. "She said it was a family thing." He handed the scrap of paper to the sheriff. "Find that necklace, and you have your arsonist."

"Murderer," Crystal snapped. "That fire she started killed nine people. _She_ killed nine people."

The piece of paper was slipped in front of her. "Recognize it?"

She glanced down at it, then back up. And she looked at John Stilinski—the man who had helped her six years ago, who let her visit Derek in jail, who trusted her—

"No," she replied. "Sorry."

—and she lied to his face. It wasn't a little white lie, either, to get her or Scott or Stiles out of trouble. It was a game-changing lie, one that could put Kate Argent behind bars for life.

Crystal didn't want Kate Argent arrested. She wanted her dead.

"I'm not going to the game, Sheriff. Wish Stiles luck for me." She left before he could question her.

* * *

Stiles was freaking out. First he finds out that Scott's mom's computer was used to help trap Allison, Lydia, and Jackson in the school so that Scott could kill them. Next he goes to the hospital where Derek's uncle, who was supposed to be in a coma, was up and walking around with his psychotic nurse. Oh and, by the way, his uncle just happens to be the freaking _Alpha_! Said uncle then proceeds to beat the crap out of Derek and now they were God only knew where, while Stiles was in the parking lot of the hospital. To top things off, the air had been let out of his front tires.

"At least he didn't rip my Jeep apart again."

Headlights fell on him, sending him stumbling back. He straightened up oh-so-casually, in case the driver didn't happen to see that.

The car pulled up beside him, and he paled. It was Crystal.

"Stiles?" she asked, rolling the window down. "I thought you were playing tonight."

He ran a hand over his shaved head nervously. "Well, uh, see…." He debated on whether he should just blurt it out or break it to her gently. "Derek and I had to check up on something and then we found out something else and you're not gonna believe me when I tell you so you might want to turn the car off."

She chuckled. "Stiles, breathe. Did you find out who sent the text?" Stiles nodded. "Well, who was it?"

"Jennifer."

Her eyebrows rose. "Peter's nurse? Why am I not surprised?"

Stiles shook his head quickly. "That's not all. She was taking orders from the Alpha. They were here earlier."

Crystal leaned over the armrest to get closer to Stiles. "You know who the Alpha is?" Stiles nodded. She sighed in frustration. "Let's not go through this again."

"Turn off the car."

"Tell me."

"Car."

They had a stare down, but eventually Stiles won. Crystal turned the car off and looked at him expectantly. Stiles gaped. He had actually won a stare down with Crystal! That never happened. Maybe it did every once in a while but only when Scott was around because that boy had some serious puppy dog eyes; who could say no to those?

"Stiles!"

He blinked. "Oh. Right." The next words fell from his lips before he could think about it. "Peter Hale's the Alpha."

Crystal stiffened. "That's not funny."

"I'm serious."

She shook her head violently. "No. That's not _possible_. If he were going to heal, he would have done it years ago! He would have told me."

"You want proof? The hallway's a mess, he and Derek are gone, and my tires are dead. We have to let Scott know."

She was out of the car and halfway up the steps before he could react. He raced after her, barely stopping before he would have knocked into her. She was frozen in the middle of the hallway. Shattered glass covered the desk. Dents were visible in the wall, wide enough to belong to a person. The nurse was still unconscious on the floor. Crystal swept by her and stopped in front of Peter's door, Stiles close behind. Her face went slack. Stiles was barely quick enough to grab her when her legs collapsed from underneath her.

He had no idea what to do. He had only seen her like this when Derek had been shot, and when she was in the hospital six years ago.

"Crystal?"

Her breathing was harsher now, like she was trying to keep herself from crying. "He's all right. He's _healed._" Tears started falling. "He's okay." She was staring at something in the room. He glanced up and shivered. The images of an eye and a crystal were carved into the wall across from them.

Stiles wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "He's the Alpha," he reminded her.

"I don't care."

"I do! He's got Derek God-knows-where, he's trying to get Scott to join his pack, and there's still the little matter of everyone he's _killed_ over the last month, _including_ his own niece!"

She buried her head in her hands. "You're right."

She was letting it go, just like that? "Okay, then."

She shushed him. "I'm thinking." They were quiet for several agonizing minutes. He thought he heard her mutter, "Don't break yet" and "Focus" a couple of times. He opened his mouth to speak again, but she beat him to it. "He'll find a way to convince Derek to help him, and then he'll either find Scott or me." She rose shakily. "We need to get to the school."

"How do you know?" he asked on the way out.

She looked over her shoulder. "He's been trying to get Scott into his pack this entire time. Besides, he's the one who taught me how to play chess."

Stiles stopped, trying to figure out what chess had to do with anything. Crystal got into the car and waited until he realized. "So you know what his next move's going to be."

"Let's hope so."

If not, they were all screwed.

* * *

Peter waited with Derek in Coach Finstock's office for the team to clear out of the locker room. His ears perked at the sound of the Argent girl's voice. He wanted so badly to wipe out every last hunter, even the latent ones. Kate first. Or maybe he would make her watch as he butchered _her_ family. Poetic justice and all that. But if he killed Scott's precious Allison, the boy would fight him at every turn. A voice that sounded remarkably like Crystal's laughed lightly in his head. _Yeah, Scott's a stubborn idiot like that. A bit like you Hales. _

A grating voice pulled him from his thoughts. It was that Whittemore kid, the power-hungry threat. Peter would have to do something about him. He hated dealing with people like him. They were willing to do anything, betray anybody, to meet their own goals.

_He's like you, then. _

Peter shook his head slightly. He might be a master manipulator willing to use people for his own gain, but he was always two steps ahead. He was logical. Some of his actions were impulsive, he would admit, but he almost never did anything without thinking it through.

Soon everyone but Scott was gone. Peter and Derek emerged from the office silently and split up. Peter quickly flipped a switch, and the lights went out. Scott's heart rate picked up, not scenting or hearing them. They would have to work on that. A lacrosse stick caught his eye. He picked it up and examined it for a moment, wondering how the game got to be such a popular sport.

"Where the hell have you been?" Scott exclaimed. So the boy had found Derek.

Peter stepped out from behind the lockers, still holding the lacrosse stick. "I don't really get lacrosse."

Scott's eyes widened, the pieces coming together. "It was you," he breathed.

Peter's lips curled upward. At least Scott wasn't completely stupid. "When I was in high school we played basketball. _That's_ a real sport." He shrugged. "Still, I read somewhere that lacrosse comes from the Native American tribes. It was used to resolve conflicts." He leaned the stick against the closest locker and looked directly at Scott. "I have a conflict of my own to resolve. But I need your help." A tiny part of him grumbled at that, but he pushed it down.

"I'm not helping you kill people," Scott protested immediately.

"I don't want to kill all of them. Only the responsible ones. And that doesn't have to include…." Peter looked at Derek for the answer, even though he already knew it.

"Allison," his nephew supplied. Scott turned to Derek, appalled.

"You're helping him even after he killed your sister?"

Derek shrugged minutely. "It was an accident."

Scott blinked. "_What?_"

"It happens."

"Scott," Peter sighed. "I do believe you're getting the wrong impression of us. We just want you to reach your full potential."

"Which means killing my friends?"

He shrugged. "Sometimes the ones closest to us are the ones holding us back."

_Even me?_ Crystal's voice whispered in his mind. He shook it away. Something outside drew his attention; two heartbeats. And they were coming closer.

"Stiles, I need you to stay here," he heard Crystal say.

"No way."

The boy was brave, he would give him that. Peter could hear his heart fluttering like a rabbit's but his voice barely shook. Crystal sighed angrily. "Fine. We don't have time for this."

Peter smirked. "We're about to have company."

Scott frowned momentarily before his eyes widened in shocked dread. "Crystal, Stiles, get out of here!" he hollered.

Peter heard the two of them stop in the hallway momentarily before one of them, probably Stiles, began running. "Great job, Scott," Crystal muttered.

The boy with the shaved head and flailing limbs rounded the lockers and skidded to a stop. The moonlight was bright enough that even a human could see what was going on. Peter smirked. "Ah, Stiles. How nice of you to join us." Crystal's footsteps were much softer as she appeared between the wolves and Stiles. Her face was pale while she took in his visage, whole and unburned.

"Peter." Her voice broke. Her eyes flickered to Scott and Derek before returning to him.

"It's nice to see you again, Crystal." He smiled with genuine sincerity at the girl he had known practically her whole life. He took half a step closer to her. Scott moved to block him, but Derek grabbed him from behind and wrapped him in a bear hug. Peter raised an eyebrow at the youngest wolf, whose eyes faintly glowed. "Scott, if I wanted to hurt her, I would have before now; you wouldn't have been able to stop me."

Crystal moved forward slowly, her hand coming up in the air between them. Her fingertips lightly brushed his newly whole cheek. "_How?_"

He shrugged, pushing the memories back. "Time heals all wounds, right?" Time, and the death of an Alpha.

She suddenly glared at him, the gold in her eyes brightening. "Obviously not."

He didn't have to be a mind reader to know what she was thinking. He gave her a warning look. "Don't even try," he warned her.

"Crystal," Stiles hissed.

She continued as if she hadn't heard him. "Kate dies; no one else."

Peter smirked widely even as Stiles and Scott protested vehemently.

"Crystal, what the _hell?!_"

"What's wrong with you? You can't just—"

"Can't what, Scott?" Crystal faced her friend, a hysterical note entering her voice. "Can't approve? Can't let Peter do this? News flash: I can't exactly _stop _him, even if I _wanted _to!" She clenched her fists tightly, trying to get her voice under control. "You'll never understand. You weren't there."

Peter let his claws grow and examined them. "Maybe I can help with that." In a heartbeat, he had sunk his claws into Scott's neck and channeled the memories to the young wolf.

* * *

Scott screamed as the claws dug deep. Stiles moved forward, horrified. _No,_ he thought. His best friend wasn't going to get hurt because of him. The pain lasted a moment before Scott was bombarded by images.

_He was choking on the smoke, but he couldn't stop. The children were upstairs. He had to get them out. His heart, the little part of it that actually felt emotion for anyone besides himself, ached for them. If Helena and Heather survived, they would be orphans._

_He was almost out. The door was carefully concealed in the wall, hardly visible unless you knew it was there. He used his strength to shove open the door, knocking over the bookshelf that separated the wolves from their human pack members. Jessica was on the floor in the living room. She didn't move, and no breath stirred in her lungs. _

_His ears were tuning into the heartbeats of what was left of his family. The ones in the cellar screamed. He blocked them out; he couldn't help them. He could hear Cora and Crystal's hearts beating rapidly in the first floor bathroom. They were safe for now. He flew up the stairs as fast as his feet could carry him, hearing the twins' hearts flutter. One of them stopped. Despite the heat, he chilled. The hallway was on fire. Daniel had collapsed in front of the twins' door, which was now on fire. His tawny hair reflected in the firelight. His eyes were wide open and glassy. _

_The twins weren't the only ones being orphaned today. _

"_Heather! Helena!" Neither of them responded. He looked around. He didn't want to burn, but if he didn't help the twins, he knew his niece and the girl who was like a daughter to him would never forgive him. He would never forgive _himself_. So he braved the flames. _

Scott didn't see much of what happened after that; he saw two little bodies in the room, clinging tightly to one another. He saw Crystal pull at Peter, begging him to move, and supporting him down the stairs. After that, the images blurred. Crystal's face jumped out several times. He watched Peter kill Laura.

_Soon they will _all _pay._

Once the memories released him, Scott gagged. Scrambling up, he turned his head and vomited.

"Scott!" Hands reached out to steady him. "Scott, what did he do to you?"

"Stiles, get him to the bench." Then he was being hoisted up and carried over to the bench. His towel dropped back over his lap. He blinked, focusing on Stiles's worried face.

"You okay, dude? You were out for, like, twenty minutes."

Scott shook his head, still trembling.

"Scott?" Crystal sat down on the bench next to him. "What did you see?" He looked up to where Peter had been, but the Alpha was gone. "Peter and Derek cleared out right after you collapsed."

"What did he do to me?"

She shrugged. "Apparently, werewolves can send their thoughts to other werewolves. Who knew?"

Stiles snorted. "I thought you knew everything about them."

"Not _everything_, Stiles." She turned back to Scott. "Well?"

"I saw—" Scott tried to make the memories less vivid. "There were two kids."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Crystal pale. "He showed you the fire." Scott nodded. She rose and paced jerkily around the room. "_Now_ do you understand why I won't stop him?"

"An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind," Stiles quoted. "Just because Peter's trying to get revenge for his family doesn't mean he can kill Allison's aunt."

"And how do you know he'll stop at Kate? What if he goes after Allison, or her parents?"

Crystal went to Scott's locker and pulled out his bag, ignoring his questions. "Come on. We should go."

Scott and Stiles looked at each other.

* * *

Later that night, Crystal stared up at her ceiling. She wouldn't stop Peter; she _couldn't _stop Peter. She wasn't strong enough physically. She wasn't willing to let Kate Argent hurt anyone else. The woman terrified her, but she was more than willing to let Peter take care of the younger Argent. She just had to think of a way to keep Allison safe. Scott's girlfriend had nothing to do with this.

_Yet_, an insidious voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Her phone buzzed, startling her out of her thoughts. She blinked at the number, but recognized the Beacon Hills area code. "Hello?"

"Crystal? It's Allison."

"Hey." She rose. "Did you want to talk to Scott?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping tomorrow with me and Lydia."

Crystal took the phone away from her ear and stared at it for a moment, wondering if she heard Allison right. "Shopping?"

"Uh-huh."

"With you and Lydia."

"Yeah. You in?"

"Uh." She usually just went shopping on her own, and occasionally with Melissa. "Sure." It could be fun, and she needed a break from the werewolf problems anyway.

"Great. See you at about ten?"

"Where?"

"Lydia can pick you up at your place, if that's okay." Crystal thought there was a slight hesitation in Allison's voice.

"Sure." Wow, Crystal was doing a wonderful job with her vocabulary tonight. Peter would be so proud. "Actually, it might be easier if I pick you guys up. That way we won't be going all over town to pick everyone up." And Allison wouldn't run the risk of bumping into Scott.

"That might be better," Allison admitted. "I'll see you at ten tomorrow morning?"

"All right. See you then."

"Bye!"

Crystal hung up and groaned. At least she'd be able to keep an eye on Allison tomorrow.

Her phone lit up with a text from Derek. **Meet me outside.** He was okay. She shoved her shoes on awkwardly and pulled on a jacket, slowing before she hit the stairs. She couldn't alert Scott. She opened the door, stepped onto the porch, and waited. Before long, Peter stepped out of the woods. Crystal frowned. _I thought Derek texted me,_ she signed. He shook his head.

"Come on." It was quiet, but it was such a still night that she could hear him clearly. She followed him into the trees until she could no longer see her house. Finally, Peter stopped. They stared at one another for a moment.

"I missed you." Her voice broke. She blinked, trying to keep herself from breaking down completely. Warm arms wrapped around her. She buried her face into Peter's chest and sobbed.

* * *

Peter had wanted to talk to Crystal, but she wore herself out crying. He brushed a tawny curl back behind her ear. She had grown up beautifully. His rage, always burning, flared briefly at the thought of all the years he missed. He swung her up into his arms and carried her through the woods and back to her house. He listened, but everyone else was asleep. He would have to be very careful not to wake up Scott. He sat Crystal down in the chair on the porch, smoothly opened the door, and picked her up again. She buried her face into his chest and gripped his shirt tightly. On silent feet, he moved through the McCall house until he was in Crystal's room. He laid her gently down on her bed, prying her hand away from his shirt. She frowned in her sleep. He looked down at the necklace still around her neck and smirked. Gently he unclasped her necklace and traced the design, thinking.

Coming to a decision, he went into her bathroom, turned on the light, and pricked his finger with a claw. He ignored the slight pain and dripped the blood into the slits at the top of the necklace. The metal warmed beneath his skin as it absorbed Peter's blood.

He ran his finger under water to get rid of the extra blood, shut off the light, and put Crystal's necklace on her bedside table. Then he was gone, making sure to lock the front door behind him on the way out.

* * *

**Mysteries abound. Questions, comments, concerns?**

**Peter and Derek were not amused by my earlier pun, in case anyone was wondering. **


	10. Arrowheads and Abductions

**Peek-a-boo! Two chapters in less than a week? SCORE! Although there was that one time I posted two chapters in less than 48 hours...huh. Screw it, I won't be trying to top that record anytime soon. Hope you enjoy the chapter! **

**Disclaimer: anything recognizable is not mine.**

* * *

Crystal trailed behind Allison as the brunette marched through the woods, carrying a bag over her shoulder. Lydia picked her way delicately though the leaves.

"You know, Allison, when you said you wanted to stop for an errand before we went shopping, you could have at least _mentioned_ we would be taking a five mile hike in the woods," the shorter girl complained.

Crystal looked down at Lydia's heels. "How can you _wear_ those things?" She could wear heels on occasion, but three inch heels every day? She would probably break her neck.

"Practice," Lydia replied distractedly.

"Oh, Lydia," Allison called over her shoulder. "Before I forget, I want to ask if you're okay with something. Jackson asked me to the winter formal."

Lydia hesitated and almost stumbled. Crystal reached out to catch her, but Lydia held up her hand as she steadied herself. "Oh? He did?"

Crystal frowned. She had a bad feeling as to where this was going.

Allison nodded. "Just as friends. But I wanted to make sure you're okay with it first."

Lydia shrugged nonchalantly, but her tight voice gave her away. "As long as it's just as friends."

"Well, yeah." Allison scoffed. "It's not like I'd take him into Coach's office during lacrosse practice to make out with him or anything."

Crystal groaned. Allison walked faster. Lydia froze. "Yeah. About that…"

"Allison!" Crystal called. The brunette barely slowed. Crystal turned to Lydia. "You two better fix this; I'm not spending my day playing buffer. I've done that enough recently."

They caught up to Allison. The girl had her bow sitting on the ground next to her and had a sliver arrowhead in her hand.

"We came out here for target practice?" Crystal sighed in exasperation.

"This is a special arrowhead," Allison told them.

"How?" Lydia asked.

Allison shrugged. "Let's find out."

Crystal's mouth dropped. "Hang on. You have no idea what that arrowhead does, and you're just going to fire it into the nearest tree?"

"Sounds about right." Allison took her stance. Crystal rolled her eyes and backed away, pulling Lydia with her.

"Honestly," she muttered. "Why do I always get stuck with the idiots? Where did she even find that arrowhead, anyway?"

"I can hear you."

"Good," Crystal spat. A moment later, the arrow flew into a tree about thirty feet away. The moment it made contact, there was a slight flash and a bang. They jumped. As soon as the sparks had faded, Crystal marched over to the tree and yanked the arrow out of the tree, ignoring Allison's sharp cry of "Careful!"

"That was great," Lydia said. "Any more lethal weapons you'd like to try out now?"

Allison and Crystal both turned as they heard something moving in the woods. It was so faint it was barely audible, but Crystal was getting paranoid with all the hunters and werewolves around.

"Hold this." Allison dropped her bow in Lydia's hands.

"Why?"

"I thought I heard something."

"So?"

"I want to find out what it is. Don't worry, it's probably nothing." Allison was tense, making her words a little hard to believe.

"Well, what if that nothing is something and that something is something dangerous?" Lydia whispered.

"Shoot it," Allison told her friend firmly before walking off.

Crystal snarled softly. "Honestly," she hissed. "First we go into the woods to play Robin Hood, then Allison wanders off to investigate a noise."

"It's like a horror movie come to life," Lydia agreed.

She had no idea. Crystal went to unscrew the sliver tip but dropped it again as the metal burned her hand. "Damn it!"

"Are you okay?" Lydia asked instantly.

"Yeah." Crystal looked at the arrowhead warily. "It just burned me."

"What kind of arrowhead is that?"

"That's what I want to know." She took off her scarf and wrapped it around her hand before trying to remove the arrowhead again. This time, she succeeded in getting it off. She stuck it in her jacket pocket and put her scarf back on before she rummaged through Allison's bag, finding the arrowhead that originally went on the arrow and screwing it on. Then she put the arrow back in the bag and took the bow from Lydia. "It won't do you any good if it's not loaded."

Lydia's lips twitched.

"Lydia? Crystal?" They both sighed in relief when they heard Allison. She stepped back into the clearing, her necklace dangling over her neck.

"You've got your necklace back."

Allison's hand immediately went up to it, as if to make sure it was really there. "Yeah. The something that I heard was Scott. He found it and brought it to me."

Crystal raised her eyebrows. "How sweet." She wondered how much of his story was pure bull. Probably all of it. She handed the bow and the bag back to Allison. "Can we go now, please? It's almost lunch time and I have to be home by seven."

Lydia sniffed. "You have a curfew?"

Crystal narrowed her eyes at the strawberry blonde. "I have things to do."

* * *

Five hours later, they had been to several different stores and had found nothing. Well, that wasn't true. Crystal had actually found a couple of dresses, but Lydia had shot both of the dresses down. One was too "frumpy"—Crystal actually agreed with her, but it had been cheap—and the other was unflattering, in Lydia's eyes. The one that Lydia had found for her was _way_ above Crystal's price range, and a little too slutty for her taste. The bottom of the dress had barely come down to her mid thigh.

"We have less than a week until the dance," Lydia groaned. Then her face lit up. "How about we skip school Friday and go shopping? Then afterward we can all get ready together."

Allison looked doubtful, but Crystal nodded. "It's not like we'll be the only ones," she mused. "And I'll be able to catch up. I'm in."

Lydia clapped. "Great! Give me your phone." Crystal dutifully handed it over, and Lydia typed in her phone number and sent herself a text. She handed it back. "Done."

They left the mall and Crystal drove back to Beacon Hills while the other two discussed their issues. She tuned them out, uninterested in their petty argument over Jackson and Scott. Jackson wasn't worth it, anyway.

She dropped the girls off and promised she would talk to them at school Monday. She was halfway home when she noticed a black SUV was tailing her. Her stomach clenched. Looking around, she realized she and the SUV were the only ones on the road.

"Not good," she muttered. She put a little more pressure on the gas pedal, hoping to get to the next turn and shake him. Right before she hit the turn, another SUV pulled up at an angle, cutting her off. A third blocked her path straight ahead. The first stopped behind her. Car doors opened, and hunters stepped out onto the pavement, guns in hand.

She was trapped.

Her brain began whirring. She didn't have time to send a text. She could lock herself in the car, but they would probably bust her windows to get her out. She hurriedly pressed a speed dial without looking and slipped her phone in her pocket before she snatched the keys from the ignition and got out of the car.

She would have to run.

"Nice night," one of the hunters said. He was about forty, with black hair graying at the temples.

Crystal didn't waste time with pleasantries. "What do you want?"

"You're coming with us." This hunter was older. He had completely gray hair cut short, a square chin, and a harsh look about him. He stalked around her car, closing in.

She looked around for an opening. "Easy way or the hard way?"

The third and final hunter was barely older than her, with spiky black hair sticking straight up. He was the tallest of the group, but also the leanest. "I'd prefer the hard way. It's more fun for us."

She sneered at him. "You're _sick_." There. Right between Spiky and the car in front of her. Gray was far enough that he couldn't reach her in time. The pleasant one was lurking back, probably waiting for her to make a move.

She bolted.

Spiky laughed loudly, moving to intercept her. She moved sideways, turning her body so his fingers just grazed her arm.

She heard a bang, and then a fiery pain erupted in her leg above her right knee. She screamed and fell. Her keys flew from her hand and landed in the leaves at the side of the road.

Crystal sobbed, tears streaming down her cheeks as she rolled to her side to get a look at the bullet wound. A small hole on the back of her leg and the gaping hole in her thigh showed that at least it was a through-and-through. Her phone pressed into her side, and she prayed it hadn't broken.

Spiky laughed again. He sounded like a hyena. The first man knelt beside her. "Now, why'd you have to go and run like that?" He took a piece of cloth out of his pocket and wrapped it tightly around her leg. She screamed again as the cloth touched the wound.

Gray rolled his eyes. "It was her fault she got shot. We should just leave her."

"No," the first said firmly. "She wants her as bait." He lifted her up with a grunt. "Damn, girl, you're heavy."

Crystal bared her teeth at him, tears still leaking from her eyes. "You will live just long enough to regret this," she swore. "All of you."

* * *

Stiles collapsed on his bed, ready to fall asleep. His dad was getting really close to putting all the pieces together. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Bad, he decided after a moment. Definitely bad.

His phone beeped with a voicemail. Without looking, he moved his hand around until he found it and played the message.

"_What do you want?" _Crystal's voice came over the phone from a distance. Stiles had to strain to hear her. Somebody said something, but he couldn't make it out. "_Easy way or the hard way?" _A moment later, she spat, "_You're sick."_

There was movement, and someone laughed. Stiles shivered, still straining his ears. Crystal was in trouble and he couldn't help her. He jumped when a loud gunshot echoed in his ears, followed immediately by Crystal screaming. It sounded like she fell, and the message cut off. Stiles saved the message, already running to his dad like his feet had wings.

"Dad!" He stumbled into the kitchen and stopped. His dad wasn't there, but the nearly empty bottle of whiskey was. He cursed softly. He just _had_ to get his dad drunk tonight of all nights, didn't he? He hesitated, and then grabbed his jacket and keys in one hand. His other hand was already dialing.

"Hello?"

"Greg! It's Stiles. Listen, I need you to grab a patrol and look for Crystal. She's in trouble."

"Stiles, I'm gonna need a little more than 'she's in trouble'. Do you know what kind of trouble and where she is? Where's your dad?"

Stiles gritted his teeth as he started up his Jeep. "Dad's out. I don't know where Crystal was when she called, but I know she was shot. It went to voicemail. It's still on my phone."

"Stiles, you need to come in so we can hear it."

"All right, fine! Just send someone out looking for her, please!" He hit the gas.

* * *

"Make sure that bleeding's stopped. We don't need her dying on us just yet."

Crystal blinked at Boss. No, that wasn't his real name. She hadn't had enough time or brain power to come up with a decent nickname. She was more focused on staying awake.

They had taken her jacket and smashed her phone. Her keys were gone, and she couldn't walk out anyway. All she could do was wait and hope that they wouldn't torture her. She was screwed.

* * *

The cops listened as Stiles played the message again.

"And you have no idea where she was?" Deputy Tara Graeme asked.

Stiles shook his head. "She said she was going shopping with a couple of friends, but that's all I know."

"Which friends?"

"Lydia Martin and Allison Argent."

She nodded. "All right. Patrols are already out searching. Greg, stay here. I'm going to talk to the girls."

"I'm coming with you."

Stiles knew that she knew he would follow her anyway, so he wasn't surprised when she sighed and gestured. "Come on."

Stiles was tense and fidgety all the way to Lydia's house. His thrill when Lydia opened the door, strawberry blonde hair flowing gently over her shoulders, was overwhelmed by his anxiety for Crystal.

"Can I help you?"

Stiles didn't even give Tara time to speak. "Crystal's in trouble, but we don't know where she is."

Lydia's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Where did you last see Crystal Braddock?" Tara asked.

"Less than an hour ago; she dropped me off and then left to take Allison home. What happened?"

"We don't—"

"Crystal called me. She didn't say anything directly to me and it was kind of muffled, so I'm thinking she put her phone in her pocket. But I heard a gunshot."

Lydia paled. "She's alive, though, right? She has to be."

"We don't know." Tara's voice was tense, and Stiles didn't even have to look over to know she was glaring at him. "Thank you for your help."

"Call me as soon as you know anything."

Stiles nodded jerkily, already halfway to the car.

Tara started the car and had barely pulled out of the Martin driveway when the radio crackled. "We have an 11-24 near the intersection of Tanner and Anderson. A blue Lexus, license plate—"

Stiles didn't even listen to the rest of the report. "That's Crystal's car."

It wasn't long before the license plate registration confirmed it. Tara sighed. "We have to tell Mrs. McCall."

* * *

Scott stood frozen in the doorway. "You."

Peter inclined his head slightly. "Me."

Scott moved to close the door. With a slight shake of his head, Peter reached out and held the door open. No matter how hard Scott pushed, the door wouldn't close. "Really? Slam the door in my face? Come on. Think that through for a moment."

"I'll tell her," Scott said like a child about to tattle.

Peter's lips curled up into a smirk. "Tell her what, that I used to be a catatonic invalid with burns covering half of my face? Good luck with that." Melissa hadn't recognized him, even though she must have seen him a few times when Crystal came by. He'd had Jennifer forge a death certificate so there would be no questions when he disappeared from the hospital.

"If you hurt her—if you so much as touch her—"

He scoffed. "Scott. If I may interrupt your list of incompetent sounding threats for just a moment, do try and remember I've been in a coma for _six years_. Don't you think it's possible that I just want to have dinner with a beautiful woman?"

It was quite true. He always had loved beautiful things, and Melissa was quite attractive. All right, so having leverage wouldn't hurt if it came down to it.

"Just one second. I'll be right down," Melissa called. Peter could hear her heart beating quickly with nervous anticipation.

"Or maybe you think I'm going to turn her, that it might be easier to convince you if your mother is part of the pack, too." Peter shook his head. "You need to understand how much more powerful we are together, Scott—you, me, and Derek." He examined the tense Beta. "Did you know that some of the most successful military operations took place during World War II? The German U-boats attacked in groups. That's why they were called wolf packs. Did you know that?" He frowned mockingly. "Or are you failing history as well as chemistry?"

"I know the Germans lost the war," Scott bit out.

"Most historians would argue that was due to a failure in leadership. Trust me, we won't have that problem."

Melissa hurried downstairs, breaking up their little stare down. "I'm ready—_finally_. Sorry again."

Peter smiled charmingly at her. "No problem. Scott and I were just discussing history. He's actually quite clever, unlike a lot of the jocks I knew in high school. They always thought they knew everything, but they never really knew anything. It got them into trouble quite frequently."

Melissa laughed. "I think everyone's thought that." Peter held out his arm, and she took it. He looked over his shoulder, but the door was already closed and Scott was gone. So the kid wasn't stupid after all. He led Melissa over to Jennifer's car and had just opened the door for her when a police car pulled into the driveway. He didn't recognize the driver, but he did see the Stilinski boy fidgeting nervously in the passenger seat. He gaped when he saw Peter.

The officer parked the car and stepped out. Stiles wasn't far behind. "Mrs. McCall?" the officer asked.

Melissa frowned. "Yes?"

Peter narrowed his eyes slightly at Stiles. Worry emanated off him in waves. The officer was concerned, and…was that _pity_ he smelled?

"Mrs. McCall, it's about your daughter."

Melissa stiffened. Beside her, Peter stilled. Something had happened to Crystal. He didn't even have to hear her say the words.

"Can we talk inside?" the officer asked.

Melissa shook her head. "No. Tell me what happened to Crystal."

Stiles ran a hand over his shaved head but surprisingly kept quiet. The officer sighed. "All right. Stiles called us earlier after he got a message from Crystal. We sent out patrols, and they found her car abandoned not far from here." The officer paused minutely. "There was blood."

Melissa paled. Peter allowed all the worry he felt for Crystal to show on his face and reached out to steady her. "Hey. Do you want to go inside?"

She nodded shakily. The group went inside, and the officer sat next to Melissa on the couch. Peter offered to go make coffee. Without waiting, he turned his back on the women and glared at Stiles. He knew red flared in his eyes when he saw Stiles pale and retreat into the kitchen. Peter stalked toward him until they were practically nose to nose. "What happened?" he asked lightly.

Stiles held out his phone and pulled up voicemail before handing it to him. Peter listened to the message. It took all his willpower not to crush the phone especially after he heard her scream. He handed the phone back to Stiles and went back into the living room, dropping his angry expression. "I'm really sorry, but I've got to go." He looked directly at Melissa, ignoring the officer. "I'll call you?"

Melissa nodded. Peter knelt in front of her and curled his hand around hers. "She'll be all right." It took every ounce of patience and deception that he possessed to make it out the door, to the car, and down the road. He drove until he reached an empty playground. He parked the car, got out, and roared his fury at the sky. Collecting himself, he looked around the familiar playground.

_Eighteen year old Peter groaned softly as he looked over at his niece and nephew. Talia had decided it would be good for him to babysit today. So here he was, stuck on a bench surrounded by screaming children. Did she know nothing about him? He couldn't stand children, especially in large quantities. _

_His ears pricked at Laura's and Derek's voices. They were arguing again. Derek stomped over to him grumpily, tears shining in his eyes. His thick blue coat was zipped up to protect him against the cold February weather, but his nose and ears were slightly red. The three year old had just opened his mouth when five-year-old Laura waddled up behind him in her puffy pink coat. Both of them started talking at once. _

"_Laura pushed me!"_

"_Derek wouldn't let me have a turn on the swing—"_

"_Mommy said it wasn't—"_

"—_and Mommy always says I have to share with Derek, so—"_

"—_nice to push people—"_

"—_he should have to share with me—" _

_Peter raised his eyebrows at them, eyes glinting dangerously. The two fell silent. "If you two keep fighting, we'll just go home."_

_Laura scowled at her brother and stuck her tongue out at him. Derek grimaced at her. _

"_Well?" An idea hit him. If he got them to go home early, he wouldn't have to play nursemaid for the rest of the day._

_He felt her before he heard her. He turned his head, sighing in relief. Talia Hale had just stepped out of her car. Laura and Derek looked at him curiously, so he pointed over his shoulder. They moved around the bench, and their faces brightened. "Mommy!"_

"_Hey, sweethearts." Talia leaned down, kissed them both on the cheek, and faced Peter. He nodded and rose. Not because it was polite (although that was true) but because he wanted to leave as soon as possible. "Peter. How were they?"_

_He shrugged. "The usual." _

_A woman with curly brown hair and a baby bundled in her arms stopped beside them. "Excuse me, but do either of you know how to get to Carlton Street?"_

_Peter looked at the woman with surprised distaste. Talia silenced him with a quick warning glare before she turned to the woman with a smile. "Yes, actually."_

_As Talia gave the woman directions, Laura and Derek turned to Peter. _

"_What's that?" Derek whispered loudly, pointing at the baby._

_Peter rolled his eyes. "It's a baby, Derek."_

_The woman smiled. "Her name's Crystal."_

"_Crys-tal." Laura sounded out the name. "It's pretty." _

"_Thank you. My husband and I thought so, too."_

"_How old is she?" Talia asked. _

"_Two months old today." _

"_I'm three!" Derek proudly declared. _

"_Can I see Crystal, Mommy?" Laura asked, looking between the adults. _

"_Me, too!" Derek cried. _

_The baby turned her head at the sound of their voices. The woman and Talia had a silent conversation. The woman chuckled and led his niece and nephew over to the bench he had just vacated. She adjusted the baby in her arms while Derek and Laura climbed onto the bench. He grimaced the whole time his family cooed over the "adorable" little baby. _

"_Uncle Peter, come say hi to Crystal!" _

_He shook his head. "I can see her from here, Laura."_

_Laura sighed dramatically. "That's my uncle Peter," she told the baby. "He's nice, but he can be a bit of a grouch." _

_He scoffed. "I'm not a grouch, Laura."_

"_Then why don't you want to say hi to Crystal?" Derek asked. _

_Laura smirked up at him. "Peter's _scared_."_

_Damn, she was good. There was no way Peter was going to let them think he was afraid of a baby. He was beside Laura in an instant. "All right. Show me."_

_Laura and Derek giggled. Baby blue eyes looked over toward him. Tiny arms reached out. Little fists clenched and unclenched in his direction. Peter held a finger out to her. She grabbed it and grinned toothlessly. _

That was the first time he had met Crystal Braddock, but it certainly hadn't been the last. The more time he spent with her, the more she had wormed her way into his selfish heart. Now, he would do practically anything for that girl.

The hunters who took her would pay with their lives.

* * *

Crystal blinked down at the sloppy stitches that held her leg together. Thank God she had been unconscious for that part; otherwise she would have felt every prick of the needle. She shuddered, throwing that mental image out of her head. A circle of mountain ash surrounded her, far enough away that she couldn't break it. Her forearms were tied to a chair's arms, and her legs were attached to the chair's legs. Her chair was bolted to the floor.

The door slid open. She saw a disturbingly familiar figure saunter into the room and grin maniacally at her. "Look who's awake."

Somebody gasped from the doorway. "Kate, what the hell?!" Allison started forward, but Kate grabbed her arm tightly before she could ruin the circle. The girl glared at her aunt. "Why is she here? She's hurt!"

"Very good," Crystal hissed.

"She's pack friend." Kate sounded like that explained everything, but it only confused Allison even more.

"Pack friend?"

"It means I run with the werewolves." Crystal steadily glared at Kate, heart pounding rapidly in her chest.

Allison gasped. "You _knew _about Derek Hale?"

"How do you know about Derek?" she retorted, goosebumps erupting on her arms. They had Derek—that was the only way Allison would know.

"Oh, let's just say he's enjoying our hospitality," Kate replied before Allison could speak. She stepped over the line and pressed down on the bullet wound. Crystal bit her tongue so the bitch wouldn't get the satisfaction of hearing her scream. Blood filled her mouth. "Where's the Alpha?"

Crystal spat in her face. Kate barely flinched at the action, slowly wiping the blood off her face.

"I can't—" Allison's eyes filled with tears, and she backed away slowly. "I can't take this."

Kate rolled her eyes and lightly hopped over the ash to stop her niece. "What's wrong, honey?" Her voice sounded completely patronizing.

"She's a _human_!"

"So's Derek," Crystal muttered. Okay, so he wasn't _human-_human, but he was human where it counted.

"Derek's a monster," Kate hissed. "They all are. And she knows it. She's _helping_ them." She tilted Allison's chin up until their eyes met. "Crystal's bait. The Alpha and the other Beta will come for her and Derek. That's the way packs work. And when they show up…" Kate bared her teeth. "We'll be ready."

Allison shook Kate off and ran.

"Aw, come on, kiddo!" Kate called. Another door slammed in the distance. She sighed dramatically. "Fine. She might not have the stomach for what needs to be done." She looked her victim over. "Luckily, one of us does."

Oh, yeah. Crystal was so screwed.

* * *

**We are one chapter closer to the end of season 1. Hope you enjoyed it. **


	11. Lost and Found

**HEY GUYS! So, this chapter is a present for all of you who reviewed. I'm glad you liked the twist I threw in last chapter. **

**I need to stop posting so frequently; I'm gonna start spoiling you. **

**Disclaimer: The OC Crystal and the pendant are mine. Everything else belongs to their respectful owners.**

* * *

Scott slinked into the corner as he heard Peter's voice. "Hi there. I'm here to pick up."

"I'm not sure I remember you dropping off," Deaton replied. Scott could hear his heart beating steadily, which came as a surprise. Scott's own heart was pounding in his chest sporadically.

"This one wandered in on its own."

"I'm sorry, I can't help you. We're closed, after all."

"Oh, come on. Surely you can make this one exception." Nails scraped against wood. "Mountain ash," Peter sneered. "That's an old one."

The old tricks were always the best. Scott jumped as something crashed out front. He thought he detected a faint snarl from the deranged Alpha.

"We. Are. Closed," Deaton repeated, as if he were talking to a child.

Peter's footsteps moved away. "There are others who can help me get what I want, Scott. They're innocent—and much more vulnerable." His voice turned amicable again as he spoke to Deaton once more. "If you see Crystal, have her give me a call. Let me know she's all right."

Scott rose as soon as Peter was gone. "He's going after Allison! And what did he mean about Crystal?"

Deaton frowned. "I don't know. But whatever it was, I don't believe it's anything good."

"It's Peter. It's never good." Scott patted his pockets, but he couldn't find his phone. "Where's my phone?"

"I don't know. Maybe you left it at home?"

Scott threw his hands up in the air. "I need to call Stiles."

Deaton pointed to the front desk.

* * *

Stiles sat on his bed, jiggling his leg up and down nervously to let some energy out. They hadn't found Crystal yet. His dad was out right now organizing a search party. Stiles wanted to help, but his dad had convinced him to stay home in case Crystal called.

His phone rang. He grabbed it, punching the accept button as fast as he could. "Crystal?"

"Stiles."

He deflated. It was Scott. "Hey, Scott. What's up?"

"I need you to pick me up at Deaton's. We have a problem."

"Tell me about it," he muttered. "I'll be there in ten."

When he pulled up outside of the vet's, Scott was pacing up and down in front of the door waiting for him. He didn't wait for Stiles to park before he yanked open the door and hopped in. "Derek's missing, Peter's after Allison, and what happened to Crystal?"

Stiles sighed and parked. "Scott, Crystal's missing, too."

Scott paled. "How? When?"

"Some time last night. She called me and it went to voicemail. I think the hunters took her."

Scott's eyes flashed. "They took Derek too."

"It gets worse. They found her car abandoned. There was blood."

"How much?"

Stiles shrugged. "I know she was shot, but she was alive when the message cut off."

Scott growled. "Damn it!" His fists clenched.

"Dad's out with a whole group looking for her."

"We have to find Derek. He'll be able to help."

Stiles grimaced. "Why?" A sneaking suspicion told him why, though. If something happened to Derek, Crystal would most likely go on the warpath. Peter was already there. They didn't need another nut job running around Beacon Hills.

His best friend ignored him. "I need to find my phone."

Stiles looked at him, surprised. "What, you don't have it?"

Scott shook his head. "I might have left it at home."

They spent the ride to the McCall house in silence.

* * *

She looked up at her ceiling, twisting her pendant in her hand. It wasn't right. It was one thing to keep a monster locked up—he had actually killed people, and threatened several others.

But Crystal Braddock? So what if she had known about Derek Hale? She didn't know that he killed people. She couldn't have. She had helped them the night they were trapped in the school. If she was really working with Hale, she would have let them die.

_She wouldn't let Scott and Stiles die,_ a dark voice echoed in her mind. _She had to save you to save them._

It didn't matter _why_ she had saved them; it only mattered that she _had_ saved them.

Her mom called her name. Still conflicted, she went downstairs to help her mom with the groceries.

* * *

Crystal was cold. She was terrified. She was more than a little pissed off. She was hungry and thirsty.

She wanted to go home.

Spiky was guarding her, making sure she didn't try anything "stupid". She had laughed loudly at that. She had earned a split lip and a bruised cheek for her trouble.

They were the ones who had done something stupid. They had taken her from practically right under Peter Hale's nose. A faint memory came to her of the first time he had protected her.

_Peter's eyes glinted dangerously at the man in front of her. "Crystal, come here." _

_Without questioning it, she scrambled over to Peter. He lifted her up into his arms, never taking his eyes off the other man. "If you touch her, I will rip your hands off." His tone was dangerous, but for some reason it brought a sense of comfort to her. _

_The other man sneered. "How sweet. She's your little pet." _

"_No," another familiar voice spoke up. "She's pack friend." _

_Crystal grinned down at Laura, confused at her wording but happy her friend was there. Footsteps scurried behind her. She turned just in time to see the man running away. _

_Peter kissed her forehead and put his hand on Laura's shoulder. "Let's go home."_

That wolf hadn't even laid a finger on her, had only frightened her, but Peter had still been prepared to hurt him if he hurt her.

She wished he was here with her. In fact, she could see him so clearly in her mind it was like he was right in front of her.

"Crystal!"

Her eyes widened. He even _sounded _like he was in front of her! A quick glance over at Spiky showed that he hadn't heard anything. Was she going crazy, being tied down for so long?

The Peter mirage covered his ears. "Not so loud! I can hear you just fine." His eyes trailed over her, coming to rest on the bullet wound. His eyes glowed red. "Where are you?"

She blinked. So she _wasn't _hallucinating?

"It's complicated. Well, actually, it's not. But you'll most likely have several questions and I don't have time to answer them right now. _Where are you?_"

Crystal bit her lip, tears stinging the corner of her eyes. She had no idea where she was.

"Look around." He knelt in front of her, phantom fingers brushing her tears away. Holy crap, he _had_! Her tears were gone from her cheeks!

_You have got a _lot_ of explaining to do when this is over._

"Focus."

Right. She looked around the room. It looked like a warehouse, with a chained garage door and a regular door that Spiky sat in front of.

Peter raised his eyebrows at her. "Spiky?"

_Look at his hair! It's like a freaking porcupine!_

"I can't see anything but you, sweetheart."

She shook her head slightly. _Whatever. All I know is I'm in a warehouse in a circle of mountain ash. They blindfolded me in the car, and I might have passed out. _She winced, sorry that she couldn't be more help.

Peter shook his head. "You were shot. By the looks of it, you're lucky. It missed your femoral artery."

"I don't feel lucky," she muttered.

"What was that, sweetheart?" Spiky asked.

Crystal glared at him. "I said why don't you go get a haircut? Pretty sure that hair won't be as cool once I rip it out of your skull!"

She earned another slap for her cheek. Peter growled lowly. "Warehouse surrounded by mountain ash. Is that all?"

_No. One, I'm in a circle of mountain ash inside a warehouse; the warehouse isn't surrounded by ash._

"I figured that."

_Right. Sorry. And I had a couple of visitors. Kate and Allison. Kate has Derek._

"Do you know where?"

_Sorry. Kate just made a comment, but we haven't exactly gotten our one phone call yet. _

"I doubt you will," he said wryly. His eyes brightened with an idea. "Crystal, you have your necklace. Can you get it up to your lips?"

She looked at him dubiously. What the hell was he babbling about?

He sighed harshly. "In the top of your pendant there are two slits. Barely noticeable. Can you see them?" She looked down and saw them. She nodded slightly. "Good. If you can, get them up to your lips. It's a whistle. When you blow into it, it'll sound like a wolf's howl. It'll help me find you."

The door swung open, drawing her attention and breaking her focus. When she saw it was just Gray relieving Spiky, she turned back to Peter. He was gone.

Spiky came over and knelt right in front of her, where phantom Peter had been moments before. He smirked nastily, yanking at the chain around her neck. She winced as it pulled her hair with it. When the chain snapped, Spiky held it up to taunt her. "It's so pretty. I think I'll keep it as a trophy."

Her eyes widened. No! That was her only hope of getting out of here.

He laughed at her terrified despair, pocketed her necklace, and left.

She leaned her head down so Gray couldn't see the tears dripping down her cheeks.

* * *

The next couple of days passed in a blur for Scott, Stiles, and Melissa. Stiles spent his free time listening in on the police radio while Scott alternated between keeping an eye on Allison and trying to pick up either Crystal's or Derek's scents. Melissa spent the weekend house cleaning, and finally insisted on going back to work. Her argument was that if she was forced to wait around doing nothing, then she would go insane. Her bosses relented, putting her on desk duty. She didn't like it, but it was the best compromise they could come up with. Her bosses didn't want her to risk someone's life if she was distracted. She called John every night to see if they had any new developments. John, meanwhile, was combing the entire town and the surrounding area. He had even put in a call to the state police for extra hands and put out an APB for Crystal.

They had found nothing, making John believe that whoever had her was out of the area.

Chris Argent spent the time trying to get a hold of his errant sister. She had something to do with the Braddock girl's abduction, he just knew it. He also volunteered to help search.

Now that Peter knew Crystal was at least alive, he spent the time planning his next moves and waiting for her to contact him again. He had searched for Derek, but something was keeping him from finding his nephew, most likely some type of wolfsbane.

Wednesday morning, Crystal woke to find a cell phone beside her ear. "Say hello to your mate." Kate stood over her, grinning her usual psycho smile. Her wrist was right next to her face. Dumbass bitch. Crystal moved faster than a snake, adrenaline driving her. Normally Kate would have been ready, but whenever she had come to visit (which admittedly wasn't very often), Crystal had fought back with either her words or her silence. Except for the time with Allison, she had never even tried to physically assault Kate. And spitting in someone's face didn't really count as physical assault in her book. Her attack, therefore, was completely unexpected. Teeth sunk deep into Kate's wrist, drawing blood. Shaking her head back and forth like a dog, Crystal tried to open the wound even further and cause Kate more pain. Kate's screech was music to her ears. Nails dug into her face and neck. She was forced to let go of Kate to try to get away from them. Leaning her head sideways, she opened her mouth and watched in satisfaction as blood dribbled out onto the floor. She could taste the iron on her tongue.

Kate's eyes held a deranged light to them. "Fine. If that's the way you want to play." She took the cell phone and put it on speaker. "Clay!"

Gray walked into the room. Huh. Clay, Gray. Who knew? His eyes widened at the sight of all the blood.

"Hurt her as much as you want, just don't kill her." With that, Kate handed him the phone, grabbed a towel from the table, wrapped it around her forearm and left.

"Clay?" Spiky's voice came over the line. "What's going on?"

"The little bitch bit Kate, like the savage beasts she hangs out with." He moved to the other side of the room, grabbed a chair, and brought it just outside the circle. He dropped the phone onto it.

A wonderfully familiar voice chuckled on the other end of the line. Relief flooded her. Derek was alive!

"What are you laughing at?" Spiky snapped.

"You," Crystal whispered. Her throat was dry, causing her words to come out hoarsely. Derek went silent, which probably meant he was staring eerily at Spiky. Gray Clay punched her in the gut. Air wheezed out of her.

"Crystal?" Derek's voice was calm, with just the slightest hint of tension.

"So, Derek, how are they treating you?" she asked as soon as she got her breath back.

"Not so great. They haven't fed me since Saturday night and I've barely had any water."

"That's probably a good thing." For their captors, that was. "Me? I've got the VIP treatment compared to you. No food or water, but at least they let me use the ladies' room." She sighed dramatically even as Clay backhanded her. "Guess they don't want to clean up the mess."

"For someone who hasn't had food or water in, what, three days—"

"I know, I'm so lively." Her stomach cramped from lack of food. Oh, and the blow Gray Clay landed to it.

"What did you do to Kate?"

She grinned widely, figuring that blood was covering her teeth and it would look doubly creepy to Gray Clay. "I made her bleed."

"Good." Derek grunted, which made her think Spiky was torturing him now. But she couldn't help him. If she said anything, it would only make it worse for Derek.

She had never felt so helpless in her life.

* * *

Chris narrowed his eyes as he looked at the abandoned warehouse district located several miles from Beacon Hills, trying to figure out if this was a trap. He looked down at the text again.

**401 West Carolina Ave**

**Warehouse #13**

**Crystal**

He had received the text two hours ago. As soon as he saw it, he armed himself, just in case it was a trap. But the Braddock girl had been missing for just over three days now. If she really was held there, he couldn't wait around.

Chris stepped out of the car, pulled out his gun, and made his way on silent feet to the side door. Reaching out, he cracked it open a fraction of an inch. No sound came from inside. Easing it open some more, he saw that the room was empty except for Crystal. She was tied to a chair and surrounded by a circle of mountain ash. There was blood on the floor. Chris's stomach dropped. He closed the door and rushed over, stepping on the ash line and breaking it.

"Crystal." He dropped in front of her and tilted her head up so he could see her better. The entire lower half of her face was covered in blood. Her lip was split in two places, and her cheeks were bruised. It stood out harshly against her unnaturally pale skin. A bullet wound in her right thigh was sloppily stitched up. It didn't look like she had an infection. She blinked slowly. Her eyes were slightly unfocused.

"Mr. Argent?" Her voice sounded dry, so her captors probably hadn't given her water or food.

He grabbed the knife strapped to his leg and started to saw at the ropes binding her legs, ignoring her flinch when she saw it. "Hey, easy. I'm gonna get you out of here."

"Why? Your hunters were the ones who brought me here." As she spoke, he saw her teeth were covered in blood. He held back a shudder.

"Is that your blood?" He asked, trying to distract both of them. Chris Argent wasn't stupid. If "his" hunters were involved, that probably meant Kate was involved, as well.

She shrugged slightly, and then winced. "Some of it."

Which raised the question: who did the rest belong to? He finished with the ropes on her legs and went to work on the ones around her forearms while Crystal shook her legs for the first time in who knew how long. As soon as he cut the last threads loose, she tried to stand. She wobbled, so he pushed her back in the chair. She whined in protest, shivering.

"Hang on." He looked around and found her jacket in a heap near the side door. He stuck the knife back in its holster, flipped the safety on his gun, put it in his waistband, and went over to grab it. "Here. You're freezing."

She snorted. "_No, _really?"

He rolled his eyes at her smartass remark. After he helped her put it on, he hoisted her up. One of her arms went around his neck and he supported her waist. "Can you walk?"

"I would _crawl_ to get out of this hellhole."

Chris frowned as he felt something in her jacket pocket. Without asking, he reached in and pulled out an arrowhead. He raised his eyebrows at her, wondering how she had gotten hold of it. She looked down at it in surprise. "Damn, I forgot I had that."

He rolled his eyes, carefully fisted it in his hand, and started walking/dragging her to his car. It was slow work, but finally they made it. It took a bit to situate Crystal in the passenger seat, and then they were on their way back to Beacon Hills.

* * *

Melissa _hated_ working reception. She hated the feeling of uselessness that she had felt for the last few days. Unfortunately, she was stuck with both. She thought working would keep her mind off of Crystal's disappearance. It didn't, not when she was stuck behind a desk.

The doors swung open, interrupting her internal pity party.

"I need some help over here," a man said. She thought she recognized him, but her focus was on the girl in his arms. She was covered in blood. She looked _dead_.

"We need a litter in here!" Melissa called, her voice higher than normal. Soon the entryway was a flurry of activity. Crystal was being laid on a stretcher and wheeled into an exam room. Another receptionist was calling the sheriff. Melissa turned to the man who she now registered as Allison's father. "What happened?"

He shrugged. "I found her like that. She was conscious earlier; she said only some of the blood was hers."

Melissa nodded. "You're going to have to stick around; the sheriff will want a statement from you."

He chuckled without humor. "I figured as much."

* * *

Stiles put his head down on the table as he sat in Spanish class. It was one of the few classes he didn't have with Scott. He was bored.

His phone buzzed. A couple students around him looked over, but the teacher was writing on the board and didn't hear it. He opened it and stared at the message blankly, trying to register what the black letters meant.

**Crystal Braddock at Beacon Hills Memorial.**

His brain started working properly again—well, okay, properly for him—and he scrambled to collect his stuff. The commotion drew everyone's attention. The teacher frowned, narrowing her eyes.

"Mister Stilinski, sit back down. Class has barely started."

"Sorry, gotta go!" He left her shouting his name and something about detention, but he couldn't care at the moment. He skidded to a stop outside of the classroom he knew Scott was in and flung the door open. The entire class looked at him, mostly amused, some confused, and the teacher irritated. His eyes found Scott's. "They found her."

Scott's eyes bugged out. In any other situation, Stiles would have laughed or made a comment about him being a praying mantas or a tarsier. Scott didn't even put his stuff away; he just slid his pen in the spine of his notebook, picked up his notebook and his bag, and high-tailed it out of the room. The teacher protested, but Scott didn't stop. He just called over his shoulder, "See you tomorrow!"

They piled in the Jeep, throwing their stuff in back. Stiles threw it in reverse and spun out of his parking spot. He kept to the speed limit, making Scott growl. "Go faster."

"Dude, I'd love to, I really would. But my dad's sent out search parties to look for Crystal and now that she's found, cops are gonna be swarming the hospital. I don't feel like getting a ticket when one of them just happens to see the sheriff's son breaking the speed limit. With my luck, they'd have him write me up."

Scott sighed heavily. "Did the message say anything else?"

"No. Just that she was at Beacon Hills Memorial."

His friend sat up quickly. "Does my mom know? She was at work today."

"Probably. We'll find out soon anyway." He pulled into the first parking spot he found, and they bailed. Scott's whole body was tense, but he slowed down so that Stiles could keep up. They burst through the doors, and Scott's eyes landed on his mom.

"Scott!" Mrs. McCall came over and wrapped him in a hug. "You're supposed to be at school."

"But they found Crystal! I wasn't going to stay in school when I didn't even know she was okay!"

Scott's mom narrowed her eyes between the two of them. "How did you know that? Mr. Argent only brought her in twenty minutes ago." Stiles could barely find it in himself to look sheepish. She shook her head. "I don't want to know, do I?"

"Probably not," he admitted.

"How is she?"

She frowned worriedly. "I don't know. They haven't told me anything yet."

They waited. Stiles's dad showed up but, when he heard that Crystal was in surgery, he took Mr. Argent aside to get his statement and then offered to get them all food. Stiles eagerly accepted, warning his dad to get something _healthy_, but the McCalls declined. It was over an hour later that a doctor called, "Melissa?"

They all turned to face him as he walked up, barely looking over at the teens. "How is she, Clayton?" Mrs. McCall asked.

He sighed. "She's dehydrated and malnourished. She's got massive bruising and superficial wounds as well as a gunshot wound on her leg, but luckily that's all."

"A gunshot wound, and you say _that's all_?" Scott gaped, eyebrows furrowed angrily.

"It could have been a lot worse. The bullet could have lodged in her thigh muscle; luckily, it was a through and through. Her kidnappers did a sloppy job, but they stitched her up so she wouldn't bleed out. So far there's no sign of infection."

"What about all the blood on her face?"

Stiles jumped at Argent's voice. He raised his eyebrows at Stiles's actions, but didn't say anything. The doctor looked between Argent and Mrs. McCall curiously.

"Mr. Argent's the one who found her," she explained.

"We've collected some for testing, but Miss Braddock says she managed to bite one of her kidnappers. She seemed quite pleased with herself, too." The doctor sounded slightly disturbed, making Stiles wonder how psychotic Crystal had looked.

"She's awake?" The McCalls asked in unison.

The doctor nodded. "You can see her. Room 150. Melissa, you know the protocol."

Mrs. McCall nodded distractedly, already heading to find her adopted daughter, Scott and Stiles trailing behind her like puppy dogs.

* * *

Crystal sighed. She was tied down for three days, and now she was stuck in a hospital bed for who knew how long. At least the bed was comfier. But what she really wanted was to go home.

Melissa, Scott, and Stiles piled into the room. Her eyes filled with tears at the sight of them. "Hey, guys."

Melissa moved first, hugging her tightly but careful of the IV needle and the bandages on her wrists. Tears dripped onto her hospital gown, and she didn't know if they were her mom's or her own. She reached up with her good arm and wrapped it around Melissa's neck. "I'm okay." Her leg was properly stitched up, her face and mouth were clean, and she wasn't being beaten to a pulp. Chris Argent, a hunter who most likely wanted to kill her friends, had even rescued her. All in all, it wasn't the worst day of her life.

Sheriff Stilinski poked his head in, relief plainly visible on his face. She frowned worriedly at him. He looked exhausted, if the dark circles under his eyes were anything to go by. "Sheriff."

"Hey, Crystal." He looked down at the bags in his hands awkwardly for a moment before he handed them off to the boys. Stiles opened one excitedly until he saw what was in it. He looked in the bag Scott was holding. "Dad," he groaned. "I said _healthy!"_

Crystal giggled at the sheriff's wide eyes, so similar to his son's when he was trying to get out of trouble. "There's lettuce on the burger, and I got onion rings instead of fries. That's healthy stuff."

Stiles groaned dramatically, beginning to shovel the onion rings in his mouth. His dad opened his mouth to protest, but Stiles ignored him and pointed at the bag in Scott's hand in a clear "eat it" motion.

"If he's not going to eat it, give it here. I'm _starving._" Crystal held out her hand eagerly for the bag, but Melissa shook her head firmly and pushed her hand down, even though Stiles hadn't even moved to hand her the bag. Crystal's face fell. "What? Why?"

"Because you haven't eaten anything for three days. Your body needs to readjust; unless you _want _to throw up the burger and onion rings."

The teens all grimaced. "Thanks for that, Mom," Scott groaned.

Sheriff Stilinski cleared his throat, getting serious. "Crystal, I'm sorry about this, but—"

"You need my statement," she finished. "I know; we've been through this before." She leaned back, trying to get comfortable.

"We can wait outside," Scott offered reluctantly.

"_No._" She patted the space beside her. "I need you all here."

Scott and Melissa rearranged themselves on the bed so they were close enough to touch. Stiles blinked when she raised her eyebrows at him. "Wait, seriously?"

She smirked. "Someone needs to keep the mood up." She needed the detachment so she wouldn't fall back into the memories.

She spent the next hour giving an edited version of everything that had happened since she was kidnapped. A few times, her hand went up to hold her necklace before she remembered it wasn't there.

"He took my necklace," she whispered, devastated. That was _her_ necklace. It was the only one of its kind as far as she knew, and the thought of Spiky's disgusting hands all over it made her want to hit something.

Scott squeezed her hand. "We'll get it back," he promised.

John raised his eyebrows. "When the _police_ catch the guys, they'll get it back to you."

Scott looked over innocently. "Uh, yeah. That's what I said."

Damn, but that boy sucked at lying.

She shook her head with a chuckle and looked out the window. She narrowed her eyes when she saw Peter standing outside. He nodded at her. She smiled slightly.

"What?"

She looked over at Stiles. Scott rose and looked out the window, all of a sudden tense. "What?" she parroted.

"You were looking outside."

"Oh. It's just a nice day, isn't it?"

Scott frowned, but her heart didn't stutter and he hadn't seen anything outside, so he let it go.

* * *

Over the next thirty-two hours, Crystal was paid a visit by four different people: Chris Argent, Allison, Lydia, and Boyd. She wondered if Peter had popped in, but if he had, he left no evidence. Chris had asked who, exactly, had abducted her. With a sigh, she reluctantly told him that his sister was involved. He had nodded, resigned.

"I figured as much." At her confused expression, he elaborated. "You're pack friend. She was trying to use you as bait. But I guess it didn't work. I'll deal with her."

_Not if Peter gets to her first,_ she had thought.

Her next two visitors were Allison and Lydia. Lydia had frowned over what was left of her visible bruises.

"You're still going to the dance, right?" It sounded more like a demand than a question. "We'll find something to hide those bruises."

"I don't know, Lydia." Her leg was still sore, and apparently she couldn't be on it for more than a few hours at a time.

"We still have to go shopping," the younger girl reminded her.

Crystal snorted. "If they let me out by tomorrow. But we'd have to take a lot of breaks and very few stairs." Her leg was fine, bar the strain when she stretched it, but the doctors were making her use crutches to be safe.

Lydia pursed her lips, thinking. Allison jumped in. "That's fine." Crystal was glad Lydia was with the youngest Argent. She knew where Crystal was being held and had done _nothing _to help her, or Derek for that matter. She had left them at Kate's mercy. Although she seemed upset over Crystal's condition, Crystal couldn't help but feel resentful. If she wasn't careful, Allison would turn into the next Kate.

Lydia sighed dramatically and promised they would check in on her tomorrow before dragging Allison from the room.

Boyd hadn't been able to stay long, but he had popped in to make sure she was alive and healing. He had even brought her a stuffed wolf. It was pitch black with green eyes a couple of shades lighter than hers. She'd grinned widely. "I love it. Thank you."

He had merely shrugged uncomfortably. "I'm just glad you're all right," he'd muttered before he ducked out.

The wolf was clutched tightly in her hands as she carefully slid into her car. John had gotten it back from evidence and Scott was given reluctant permission to drive it. She was just thankful that the hunters hadn't screwed with it, and that the investigators hadn't scratched it.

Scott looked at the stuffed animal in her hands and snorted. "Nice wolf."

She sneered playfully at him. "Let's go home."

* * *

**For those of you who don't know, a tarsier...well, it reminds me of a tiny little monkey with these really big googly eyes. I don't really know how to describe it. Sorry about that. If you know what I'm talking about, great. If not and you're interested as to what the hell I'm babbling about, Google it. If you don't care, please ignore the last few sentences.**

**Fun fact- I saw Psycho today, and when I re-read the part about Kate's psychotic smile I thought of the ending scene and I got so creeped out. **

**Another note: if you want to play a game for the hell of it, find as many wolf/dog references as you can in this chapter. No prizes except for a virtual cyber cookie and maybe a puppy kiss from one of our resident wolves...all right, I'll stop now. Peter and Derek are glaring at me. Although that could be because of what Crystal went through in this chapter. **

**That's a wrap for this chapter. Excuse me while I go find some mountain ash. **


	12. The Dance

**Disclaimer, and all that jazz.**

* * *

Lydia led the way through the mall and headed directly for Macy's. Crystal was just glad the girl decided that they only needed to go to this _one_ store, since apparently "Macy has _everything_ we need for this dance. I can't believe we didn't come here last week!"

"Well, it _is _pretty damn expensive," she muttered. Lydia looked back, surprised.

"Oh, didn't I tell you? I'm buying the dresses today."

"No, Lydia, you don't ha—"

Lydia waved away her protests and looked over at Allison, who seemed distracted. "What's wrong?"

They stepped onto the escalator. Crystal sighed in relief, stretching her leg awkwardly with the crutches in her hands.

"Nothing," Allison told her. "I'm just distracted."

Lydia scoffed. "You could at least smile. Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'Don't frown. Someone could be falling in love with your smile"? _Smile_, Allison. I'm buying you a dress." She looked over her shoulder. "Even Crystal's happy about it."

Crystal broke out into a wide grin, shaking her head. Lydia was a force of nature to be reckoned with, but she was actually pretty awesome.

Allison smiled slightly. "I have to admit, as far as apologies go, that's more than I expected." Lydia nodded, satisfied. "But it's not as much as what I'm going to ask."

Huh? They both looked at the brunette in confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?" Lydia asked warily.

"It means you're going to cancel on whatever dumb, 'roided-up jock you said yes to, and you're gonna go with someone else."

"Who?" Lydia's voice went up a couple of octaves. They stepped off the escalator. Crystal took a second positioning her crutches so she wouldn't trip, but she could hear the satisfied smirk in Allison's voice as she said, "Him."

Crystal looked in the direction Allison pointed. Stiles was at the perfume counter, God only knew why. He sprayed some in the air and immediately started sneezing. He saw them and waved cheerfully. Crystal looked between Stiles's eager look, Allison's cat-got-the-cream smile, and Lydia's downtrodden expression and started laughing. Lydia looked at her, affronted.

"You taught her _too_ well." She hobbled over to Stiles, leaving the other two to their discussion. "Hey, Stiles."

"Crystal! How's the leg?"

"It's cool. I don't even really need these stupid crutches, but Mo—elissa's insisting." She didn't even notice her slip-up, or her correction, but Stiles did and he filed it away for later, focusing on something more important.

"Allison texted me. Why?"

Crystal bit on her cheek to keep her grin in check. "Well, it might be to tell you that you're going to the dance with Lydia." He jerked, nearly dropping the perfume bottle to the ground. Flailing, he caught it and put it back on the counter under the disapproving eye of the counter attendant. "Or maybe it's to tell Lydia that she's going to the dance with you."

"Are you freaking serious?" Stiles barely managed to keep his voice down.

She nodded, not even bothering to hide her grin anymore. "Yep. You, my friend, are one lucky bastard."

Lydia appeared next to her. "All right, if you're taking me to the dance you might as well help me find a dress." She dragged Stiles away to the racks. Stiles looked over his shoulder at her and Allison and mouthed, "Thank you!" dramatically.

That left Crystal alone with Allison, something she had been trying to avoid. The grin dropped off her face. Allison looked at her awkwardly. "Crystal—"

"Let's go; if we don't find a dress to show Lydia, she's just gonna pick them for us."

It didn't take much effort for Allison to keep up. "I know I should have told my dad—"

"Then why didn't you?" she spat fiercely.

"—_sooner,_" Allison continued.

Crystal missed a step with her crutches and dropped them. Before she could fall flat on her face, Allison caught her. Someone knelt beside them to pick up the crutches.

"Thanks," Allison said.

Peter straightened and handed the crutches back to Crystal. She restrained her smile, glad that he was all right and only slightly concerned. "Thank you," she echoed Allison. "Stupid things."

Peter returned her smile. "I can only imagine. I've never been unfortunate enough to have crutches, myself."

"You're lucky." She turned to Allison. "Hey, can you go check on Lydia and Stiles? I don't want her dragging him all over like a dog on a leash."

Peter stifled a laugh. Allison looked back and forth between the two of them strangely, but left. As soon as she was out of sight, Crystal led Peter over to a nearby rack and pretended to look at the dresses. "We need her."

"I know. That's why I'm not going to kill her." The _yet_ was strongly implied.

"Her father rescued me. Apparently Allison told him where to find me."

Peter narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "Be that as it may, she told him three days too late. She could have told him directly after she found out Kate was keeping you hostage."

"And she didn't; I know." She sighed heavily. "Look, I know I can't stop you from doing what you want to do. All that I can do is ask nicely. _Please_ don't do anything we're going to regret later. That includes torturing Allison for information." Peter looked down at her with slight contempt. "I owe her father. Torturing his daughter, or even using her for bait…that's exactly what Kate did to me, what she's still doing to Derek."

"I want all the hunters wiped off the face of this planet," he snarled softly.

"It's not _all_ hunters; it's Kate's fault. She's the one to blame." A dress caught her eye, and she lifted it up. Peter stared between it and her with disdain. "No?" She put it back. "This _needs_ to end once Kate's dead." Although she had a strong feeling it wouldn't.

Peter held up another dress and frowned contemplatively, holding it up next to her. He nodded decisively. "Here."

She looked at the dress. It had a sort of v-neck shape and delicate short sleeves. It was a dark green, barely darker than her eyes. Half of it was lace, while the other half was made of some soft material. Silk, maybe? It had a half-open back, flared at the waist, and went down to her knees. It was long enough for her. "Can I even _wear_ that? It looks too tiny, waist-wise."

Peter shrugged. "Then get it let out."

"Sure, let me just call my personal seamstress." Her eyes widened dramatically. "Oh, wait! I don't have one."

"Isn't your friend paying for your clothes?"

"And the dance is _tonight_." She didn't even ask how he knew Lydia was paying for their outfits. "There's no time."

He rolled his eyes. "Just try it on. If it doesn't fit, then don't get it."

She rolled her eyes right back at him. "Fine, whatever. I'll have someone help me get dressed, like a freaking child."

He smirked. "See you later, sweetheart." He headed over to where Allison stood.

She shook her head and hoped that he wouldn't seriously be stupid enough to abduct her in a public place.

This was Peter she was thinking about. He was anything _but _stupid.

* * *

Crystal looked in the mirror, impressed despite herself. She knew Peter had an eye for pretty things; if he wanted to he could probably make a living as an interior decorator or something. The dress was gorgeous. It even fit properly, too, and it didn't make her look fat. A matching shoulder bag sat on her bed next to her black flats. She had added some simple diamond earrings but couldn't bring herself to find another necklace. Her hair had been styled into soft waves, and she couldn't help but play with a strand.

Someone knocked. "Come in."

Melissa stepped in and whistled. "You look _beautiful_."

She looked down self-consciously, letting go of her hair to smooth out her unwrinkled dress. "Thanks. A friend of mine picked it out."

"Well, your friend obviously has very good taste." Melissa stepped up behind her and met her eyes in the mirror. "Are you going to pick up your date, or is he coming here?"

Crystal shook her head. "I'm going alone, but I'll probably meet up with Stiles and Lydia later."

Melissa blinked. "Did anybody ask you? Did you ask somebody?"

"Nah. Boyd doesn't care for events like this, and besides, I doubt I'd be doing much dancing tonight anyway."

Melissa looked over at the crutches leaning against her bed. "True." She spun her adopted daughter around. "I just want you to have fun. This is your senior year, your last winter formal."

Crystal smiled a bit, going over to her bed and putting on her flats. "There's still prom. But if you really want me to have fun, you'll let me leave—"

"You're taking the crutches," Melissa interrupted. "If you put too much strain on that leg, it could start bleeding again."

"I'm a fast healer, you know that."

"If the doctor okays it tomorrow, you can get rid of the crutches. Until then, they're going with you as a precaution."

Fine. She'd ditch them at a table and if her leg started acting up, she'd sit down.

"Crystal! Let's go!" Scott called. Both women rolled their eyes.

"You'd better go before he hotwires your car."

Crystal shook her head, smirking devilishly. "I've trained him too well." She grabbed her bag and the crutches and made her way downstairs under Melissa's watchful eyes. Scott was waiting impatiently at the bottom of the stairs.

"_Finally._" He was halfway to the door when Melissa stopped them.

"Pictures."

Scott groaned dramatically, but didn't put up a fight when Melissa took out a camera and made them pose a few times. "Okay," she dismissed them. Scott rushed Crystal as fast as she could and helped her into the car, with the crutches going in the back seat. Crystal tightened her grip on the keys for a moment.

"Remember the rules. You wreck my car, I wreck you," she reminded him before she dropped them in his hand.

* * *

When they reached the school, Scott parked on the side furthest away from the doors.

"Oh, thanks. I was looking forward to walking three hundred feet with crutches," she said dryly.

Scott smiled sheepishly. "Well, since I'm technically not supposed to be here—" He yelped as she hit him with her bag.

"And you tell me this _now_?"

"Blame Finstock. Apparently my grades suck, and they wanted me off the team. Finstock got them to agree to ban me from the dance instead." She hit him again. "Ow!"

"This is all your fault. I told you to get your grades up. What classes are you failing again?"

Scott gaped at her. "God, you sound like Peter."

She frowned. "When did Peter talk to you about school?"

"When he came over to pick Mom up for a date, the night you…"

She ignored that last bit. "Huh. Not surprising. He's always liked pretty things."

Scott shook his head disbelievingly and got out of the car, tossing her the keys. By the time she had put them in her bag and hopped out of the car, Scott was gone. Crystal grabbed her crutches, locked the door, and made her way to the front doors by herself.

"Crystal!"

She turned at Stiles's voice. He and Lydia stopped in front of her. Lydia's lips were turned up in a small but genuine smile. "Hey, guys."

"You look gorgeous," Lydia said.

"Thanks. You look wonderful, too." She turned to Stiles, grin turning playful. "And Stiles, you look _so handsome_." She reached out to pinch one of his cheeks. He slapped her hand away lightly. She laughed and followed them inside. "I'll see you guys around." She took off before they could stop her.

She plopped down at the first table she could find, not bothering with the punch. Nick Fenley from chorus sat next to her, brown hair stylishly tousled. He filled her in on what she had missed and successfully avoided the topic of her abduction, making it sound like she had been sick for a week.

"So…you wanna dance?" he asked her after they had sat in silence for ten minutes.

Crystal shrugged. "Sure."

She rose gingerly, happy when her leg barely ached. She decided to leave her crutches at the table but kept her shoulder bag with her. Nick laughed. "You really think someone would try to steal your lipstick?"

"No. I'm afraid they'd try to steal my _car_."

"Huh." They didn't speak again throughout the dance, or the one after that. They passed Lydia, who was leading Stiles out onto the dance floor. Crystal laughed at the astonished delight on her friend's face.

"McCall! I see you, buddy!"

Several people turned their heads at the commotion. Crystal hid a grin in Nick's shirt, knowing that Scott had been caught. Finstock kept shouting until suddenly the music stopped. Crystal pushed her way through the crowd, dying to see what Scott had done. She bit her lip to keep from laughing. Finstock was standing in the center of the floor, staring at Scott in disbelief. Scott had his arms wrapped around Danny's neck. "Yes, Coach?"

Finstock started stuttering and laughing awkwardly. Crystal caught Stiles's eye and they both had to turn away before they burst out laughing.

"Dance, everyone! This is a party, after all!"

Crystal broke away from Nick. "I'll be back." She moved over to Danny, who was standing in the middle of the floor with a bemused expression on his face. "Hey, Danny?"

He looked over at her. "Crystal! You're back!"

"Not officially until Monday." She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks for helping Scott out. I take it you know he's not supposed to be here?"

Danny laughed. "Yeah. The whole team knows, actually. Scott even offered to quit the team so he could come to the dance."

Of course he did. Anything to protect Allison. "And here I thought you weren't one for gossip." She looked around to find Scott, and her eyes found someone else. He walked out the gym doors. "Uh, Danny? I'll see you Monday. I've gotta go."

"All right. See you." Danny went to go find his date.

Crystal slid through the crowd until she was out of the gym. Peter leaned against the wall far enough away that people wouldn't be able to get a good look at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Finding Derek."

"No, you're standing here."

He smirked. He had a plan. Of course he did. Crystal sighed heavily. Jackson stumbled out of the doors, quite obviously drunk. Peter scoffed. "That's disgusting."

"Getting drunk? Probably. I've heard the hangovers aren't much better."

"Well, there is that. I meant that the teachers aren't doing anything about it. Aren't they supposed to have a no-drinking policy on campus or something?"

"It's a party. People get drunk at parties. The punch is probably spiked; that's why I'm not touching it." She frowned, looking in the direction Jackson left. "I'd better go check on him."

Peter didn't say anything. She looked back. He was gone. "Damn it." She would never be able to find Peter if he didn't want to be found. She'd have a better chance of making sure Jackson didn't do anything stupid.

She burst out the double doors and looked around, shivering in the chilly air. She should have brought a jacket. Jackson was almost to the tree line. What the hell was he going into the woods for? She went after him, going gingerly down the stairs so she wouldn't hurt herself. As soon as she hit the trees, she groaned. "Oh, no." Two red lights shined in her direction. Didn't Scott say something about having to save Jackson from Derek the night she was taken? She picked her way through the trees, careful not to trip over roots. "That idiot; I am going to drag him back by his jock ass—"

Voices up ahead stopped her. That wasn't Peter. She strained her ears. No, that was Allison's dad's voice. "This isn't good." She moved as quietly as possible toward them, but not quietly enough. They went silent, and she wondered how many guns were pointed at her right now. "Jackson!"

"What the hell are you doing out here?" he cried, a mixture of anger and fear in his voice.

"I could ask you the same thing." She stepped around a tree and found him on the ground in front of Mr. Argent. From their silhouettes, he and two other hunters had their guns out. Flashlights shined on her, but they were nice enough to keep them out of her eyes.

"Jackson was just telling us about the second Beta." Mr. Argent walked toward her slowly. "We know it's Scott."

"How can you take anything a drunk kid says seriously?" she scoffed, voice steady even though her heart pounded wildly.

"He also told us about Derek. How Derek took him to the Hale house and tried to kill him, most likely on the Alpha's orders. How Scott intervened."

"What else has he told you? That there are fairies living in the woods and they only come out the night of the new moon?"

"Crystal. You're pack friend. It's admirable, you wanting to protect them. But we're going to take out the Alpha. If Scott really isn't involved in the killings, we'll let him go."

She shook her head angrily. "This is ridiculous." She reached out to haul Jackson to his feet, but Mr. Argent beat her to it.

"Let's go back inside."

Crystal glared at all of them, violently pulling away when one of the hunters reached out for her. "I _can_ walk, you know." It was slow going, but eventually they were out of the woods and back in the school parking lot.

"You're not going to hurt him, are you?" Jackson asked, sounding for all the world like a child.

"No. He's just a kid. We don't kill children."

"No, you just shoot first and ask questions later." Her words dripped with scorn. "If you hurt him, you'll pay dearly."

"Is that a threat?" the hunter right beside her asked lightly.

She grinned maniacally at him. "No. It's a promise."

"Go back to the dance," Mr. Argent ordered them. "Hang out with your friends and be a normal teenager."

Crystal shoved past Jackson, purposefully knocking him sideways as she stormed into the hallway. She had to find Scott.

Stiles stopped her at the gym doors, phone to his ear. "Have you seen—" He looked over her shoulder at Jackson, who had stumbled up looking sick. Crystal scooted away just in case he decided to throw up, and to resist the urge to punch him. "There you are! Did Lydia find you?"

Crystal's eyes widened. "Lydia?" Her stomach sank.

"She went out looking for Jackson about twenty minutes ago." He noticed Jackson's pale face. "What?" he asked warily.

"Jackson's an idiot, that's what." She glared over at the jock darkly. "He told the hunters about Scott."

"_What?!_" Stiles joined in the glaring.

Crystal reached out to grab his arm, stopping him from moving toward the jock. "We need to find Lydia." She made Stiles look at her and leaned in so Jackson couldn't hear what she was saying. "I saw Peter earlier. He's up to something, I know he is."

Stiles paled. "Split up."

"Hang on." She turned to Jackson. "If you took off at a school event, where would you go?"

Jackson floundered for a second with his answer. "Either the gym, the locker room, the pool, or the lacrosse field."

"Obviously, she's not in the gym. Jackson, take the pool and the locker room. Stiles, let's go."

Stiles didn't wait for her to catch up. She grabbed Jackson's arm before he disappeared. "Give me your phone." He looked at her dumbly for a second but handed it over. She opened up a new text, typed in a string of numbers, and wrote: **Jackson**. She sent the message. "There. Call Stiles if you find her." She took off after her friend, dread growing with every step.

* * *

"_Lydia! Run!_" Stiles screamed. Crystal was almost to the lacrosse field, which was flooded with light. Not good. She tested her leg, barely feeling any strain on it. She kicked off her flats and ran, ignoring the slight pain that jolted in her thigh at the sudden movement. Lydia screamed, but it cut off suddenly, leaving eerie silence in its wake.

She turned around the bleachers and jerked to a stop, nearly collapsing. "Lydia," she breathed. Lydia was on the ground, blood covering her arms and side. She didn't move; it didn't even look like she was _breathing_. Peter looked very wolf-like in that moment as he crouched over her, growling softly. Red dripped from his mouth. Stiles was on his hands and knees in front of him, eyes fixed on his date.

"Don't hurt her, please," Stiles begged. Crystal moved forward on slow and silent feet, trembling. Peter had a clear view of her, but he didn't acknowledge her.

"Peter," she breathed.

"I won't kill her," he promised, tracing Lydia's pale face with a sharp claw. "As long as Stiles tells me where to find Derek."

"W-what?" Stiles stuttered.

Crystal gaped. "You think _Stiles_ can help you find Derek?"

Peter nodded.

"I don't know," Stiles protested quickly. "How could I possibly know that? Why would you think that?"

"Because you're the clever one. And because deception has a particularly acrid stench. Now, tell me the truth…or I will rip her apart."

Crystal shivered at his matter-of-fact tone. He would do it, too. She had never really been terrified of Peter before. Wary, nervous, intimidated, even a little scared. But never terrified. Not like this. "Stiles, what is he talking about?"

"I _swear_ I have no idea where Derek is."

Peter stared at Stiles. Crystal didn't take her eyes off of him as she spoke to her friend. "Stiles, what _do_ you know?"

"I—he might have known."

"Knew what?" Crystal and Peter asked at the same time.

"I th—I think Derek knew he was gonna be caught."

"By the Argents," Peter guessed.

"By Kate and her hunters," Crystal corrected. Peter's red eyes turned to her. "I don't think Chris Argent was involved. At least not with my abduction." She tilted her head in Stiles's direction, eyes still locked with the pissed off werewolf. "What makes you think he knew?"

"When he and Scott were shot, I think—I think he took Scott's phone."

"Why?" Peter bit out.

"GPS," Crystal said, figuring it out.

Stiles nodded. "The cell phones all have GPS now, so as long as Derek still has it and it's turned on, you can find him."

Peter nodded slowly, accepting Stiles's theory. Crystal finally broke the staring contest with Peter and glanced over at Stiles. "Why didn't you mention this sooner?" she hissed.

"I was a little more worried about you," he replied tersely.

Peter rose. "Well, we'd better be going."

Stiles shook his head. "No. I'm not leaving her here."

"You don't have a choice, Stiles. You're coming with me."

Crystal looked between Lydia and Stiles, conflicted. If Lydia didn't get help soon, she would bleed out. Peter needed Stiles, but she didn't know what would happen after they got what they needed.

"Stiles, give me your phone."

Stiles handed it over without question. "Just kill me. I don't care anymore."

Without even looking, she slapped his arm hard. "Don't say that!" Peter reached out and put a claw to Stiles's throat, forcing him to rise. Crystal found her message, got the number, and hit send. Jackson answered on the first ring. "Did you find her?"

"Yeah. She's at the lacrosse field. Get here _now_. She's losing a lot of blood."

"What? Call an ambulance!"

She glanced over at Peter, who was already shaking his head. "I'm sorry. Pack business." She hung up and looked at Stiles, who gaped at her. She raised her eyebrows at him. "You really think I'm leaving you and Peter alone after what just happened?"

"I wouldn't kill him," Peter said dryly, already dragging Stiles away. Crystal put the phone in her purse and walked quickly to keep up. "I need him, in case you've forgotten."

"No. But you _did_ just attack a friend of mine, so forgive me if I'm a little iffy right now." She reached into her purse as they neared the parking lot. "My car's near the end over there."

Peter led them in that direction and held out his hand for the keys. She pursed her lips but relented. "I'm gonna give you the same warning I give to everyone who drives my car. You wreck it, I wreck you." She shook her head as he unlocked the passenger door and opened it for her. "I am letting _way_ too many people drive my car lately."

Stiles slid into the back reluctantly, constantly glancing over his shoulder toward the lacrosse field. When Peter left the school behind, he turned forward and bounced his leg anxiously.

Peter glanced at him in the rearview mirror. "Don't worry. If she lives, she'll become a werewolf. She'll be incredibly powerful."

"Yeah, _if_," Crystal stressed under her breath. Peter shrugged slightly.

"And once a month she'll go out of her freaking mind and try to tear me apart," Stiles retorted, not hearing Crystal's ominous comment.

"Well." Peter tilted his head. "Considering she's a woman, twice a month, actually."

Stiles sent a very unamused look toward their driver. Crystal rolled her eyes, but a slight smirk played at her lips. Suddenly, a thought occurred to her. "Peter, you're a werewolf." Stiles snorted. Peter looked at her like she was an idiot for stating the obvious. She ignored them. "Derek's a werewolf. You guys told me once that, just like real wolves, you howl to signal your location to the rest of the pack. Why didn't you just call Derek that way?"

Stiles leaned forward, curiosity warring with anger. "You mean if he had just howled all of this could have been avoided?"

Peter sighed. "Derek may be in my pack, but that doesn't mean he trusts me. If I tried, and he didn't respond, I'd essentially be putting Derek at even greater risk."

She scoffed. "Kate has him hostage; he can't get more at risk than that."

"I would have asked you to call him, but your necklace appears to be missing."

Her hand went up to the empty space. "You said you'd explain about the necklace."

He nodded. "Later."

Stiles leaned toward Crystal. "What's up with your necklace?"

"Apparently it's got a whistle in it. If you blow into it, it sounds like a wolf howling."

"Wha—that's cool," Stiles admitted.

The rest of the car ride was virtually silent. Finally, Peter swung into a parking garage and hit the brakes a little too hard for Crystal's taste. "Careful," she warned as they all got out. Her bare toes touched cold concrete, making her jump. Peter grabbed Stiles's arm and dragged him over to another car that looked vaguely familiar.

"Whose car is this?" Crystal asked.

"It belonged to my nurse."

"Belong-_ed_? Past-tense? What happened to—oh, my God!" Stiles looked away the moment Peter popped the trunk, clapping a fist in front of his mouth. Crystal turned away from the body in the trunk, shuddering. Judging by the smell, she hadn't been dead for more than a few days. How nobody smelled that was beyond her.

Peter looked down at it and back at them. "I got better." He reached in, grabbed a laptop bag, and slammed the trunk again.

"_Gross_." Crystal glared at Peter. "And you wonder why I didn't want to leave you two alone together."

Peter pulled out a laptop and a MiFi device and set them on the trunk.

"Oh, look. You're a Mac guy. Is that just your personal preference or is it a werewolf thing?" Stiles quipped nervously.

"I think it's a Hale thing," Crystal told him. "Peter has expensive tastes, and have you seen the Camaro Derek drives?"

Peter looked between them, unamused. "Set it up."

"_Please,_" Crystal stressed.

Stiles powered up the Mac. "Werewolf with technology. That's really killing the whole werewolf mystique." He looked over at Peter. "You're still gonna need Scott's username and password, and I'm sorry, but I don't—"

"You know both of them," Peter interrupted. "Even if I couldn't hear your heartbeat, I would still be able to tell you're lying."

"Stiles." Crystal put her hand on his arm. He shrugged it off, which hurt. "We need to find Derek. This is important."

Stiles glared at her. "If you want to find your boyfriend so bad, why don't you—"

Peter cut him off again, grabbing the back of his head and slamming it into the laptop. Crystal gasped and glared. "Peter!"

"I can be very persuasive, Stiles. Don't make me persuade you." He leaned closer and whispered something in his ear that made Stiles pale just a little more.

* * *

Peter watched with satisfaction as Stiles paled. If he kept it up, soon he'd look like a ghost.

Crystal pulled on his shirt to get him away from her friend. He moved closer to her.

"Why don't you just get Crystal to tell you," Stiles grumbled.

"Because Scott doesn't tell Crystal everything, not like he does with you."

The boy scoffed. "You're gonna kill all the hunters after you find Derek, aren't you?"

"Only the responsible ones."

"It ends with Kate," Crystal said firmly. He shrugged. They both knew Peter would do what he wanted in the end. She could try to talk to him, but she couldn't really stop him.

"If I do this, you have to promise to leave Scott out of it." Stiles typed as he spoke.

Peter looked between the girl at his side and the boy in front of him. "Do either of you know why wolves hunt in packs?"

"Because they aren't as flexible as cats?" Crystal joked. Stiles laughed for a moment, despite being angry with her.

Peter raised an eyebrow at her. "Their favorite prey is too large to be taken down by only one wolf. Caribou, deer."

"Hunter," Stiles muttered.

"That's why I need Derek and Scott. I need _both_ of them."

"He won't help you," Stiles protested.

"Yes, he will," Crystal sighed, knowing that Peter was a master manipulator. "He wants to keep Allison safe, so he'll help Peter to make sure she stays that way."

"And you'll help me because it will save Scott," Peter finished, glad that Crystal hadn't let her brain cells rot over the years.

"Why is Crystal helping you?"

Crystal shrugged. "Technically, I'm not. I'm a cheerleader. But Kate killed my family and my best friend, and put Peter in a coma for six years. Peter's gonna get revenge one way or another. I might as well stick around to do damage control."

"Damn good job you're doing, too."

Peter pointed to the computer, moving to Stiles's side. Crystal nudged her way partially between the two of them. "You know Scott, probably even better than you know yourself. When you have a relationship like that, it means you know _everything_, including his username and password."

Stiles sighed heavily and typed. Crystal hung her head. "I'm an idiot."

Peter raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "His username is 'Allison'?"

Stiles kept typing. Peter rolled his eyes, disgusted with both himself and Scott. "His password is also 'Allison'?"

"Still want him in your pack?" Stiles looked between the two of them sardonically.

"Well, it's actually a _little_ smart," Crystal admitted reluctantly. "How many people would think to try the same word for both the username and password if they were trying to hack you?"

"When they're both the name of the girl you're infatuated with, it's really not that hard to figure out."

Stiles smirked. "Then why didn't either of you?" The smirk dropped before Peter could react. "Wait. That's not right. It can't be." They all leaned toward the screen. "They're keeping him at the Hale house?"

Peter shook his head. "Not _at_ the house. _Under_ it."

"In the cellar," Crystal guessed.

In the place where most of his pack burned. Peter's thoughts were interrupted by a howl he recognized as Scott's. A minute later, Derek replied. He turned in the direction of the howl. "And I'm not the only one who knows it."

* * *

**Crystal's observation at the end is an observation my dad made when I forced him to watch this episode, so thanks Dad! **


	13. Shattered

**Regular disclaimers and all that jazz. This chapter is posted today as a present to PrincessMagic, just because.**

**I had an anonymous review last chapter. Sadly, with no return PM, I could not explain my reasoning privately, so I have to post it below in case Guest comes back. If you're curious as to Crystal's reasoning behind the last couple chapters, feel free to read. If you couldn't care less, please scroll to the start of the chapter. **

**Guest: I wouldn't say she's actively helping Peter, but she sure isn't going to try to stop him from killing Kate. She IS, however, trying to keep her friends and Chris as safe as she can from a werewolf who will, in the end, do what he wants. Plus, think about it. Kate tore her family apart. Because of Kate, Peter was in a coma and Derek and Laura took off. She thinks Cora is dead. The people—the werewolves—she grew up around were gone. And werewolves aren't completely like humans. She also looked up to Peter. I think it's chapter 5 where she calls him a father, uncle, and brother. Yes, he was all those things individually, but she also saw him as a combination of all of those things **_**to her. **_**He helped raise her. Obviously some of his mindset is going to rub off on her.  
As for Crystal being a bitch, remember one of the very important rules: Never piss Crystal Braddock off. **

* * *

"So you're not gonna kill us?" Stiles asked as Peter walked away. Peter stopped. Crystal groaned silently.

"Why would I kill you, Stiles? I'm not the bad guy. I would never hurt Crystal, and killing you would mean hurting her."

Stiles's eyes widened in shock. "You're not the bad guy just because you want to keep Crystal safe? Well, news flash: turning into a hulking monster with red eyes and fangs kind of outweighs you wanting to keep her safe. And I'm pretty sure attacking Lydia just contradicted everything you just said."

"Stiles, for the love of God, _shut up_!"

Peter smirked. There was something about Stiles that intrigued him. Maybe it was the way he stood up to Peter, knowing he could die at any moment. Maybe it was the way he was more comfortable around werewolves than most humans. Either way, Peter was inclined to offer him a gift. "I like you, Stiles. Since you helped me, I'm going to give you something in return. Do you want the bite?"

Stiles and Crystal both gaped. Stiles's heart stuttered. "What?"

"Do you. Want. The bite?" He stepped closer. "If it doesn't kill you—and it could—you would become like us."

"Like you."

"A werewolf. Would you like me to spell it out for you?" He was about to take back everything he thought about Stiles being the smart one. "That night in the woods, I bit Scott because I needed a new pack. It could have just as easily have been you."

"Why not Crystal? She was with Scott that night; why didn't you bite her too?"

"She's pack friend. Should she ever want the bite, all she has to do is ask." His eyes flickered over to Crystal.

She frowned, but shook her head. "Not tonight." Even without listening to her heartbeat, he knew she was being honest. She rarely lied to him.

Peter shrugged, not worried in the least. "One day."

"Maybe."

Peter reached out and grabbed Stiles's wrist. "Yes or no, Stiles?" Stiles didn't protest, so Peter brought it to his mouth, forcing his teeth out. At the last second, Stiles ripped his hand away and backed toward Crystal.

"No. I don't want to be like you."

Stiles's heart beat quickly halfway through the sentence and returned to normal. Peter raised his eyebrows. "Your lips say no, but do you know what else I heard? Your heart beat slightly faster on the words 'I don't want'. You may believe that you're telling the truth, but you're lying to yourself." He smirked and turned away. "Goodbye, Stiles. Crystal."

He headed over to the Lexus and got in, looking at her indignant face in the rearview mirror. "What the hell?" she called. "Get out of my car!"

He pretended not to hear her and sped out of the parking lot. "Sorry Crystal," he said to thin air. She deserved revenge as much as, if not more than him. But she was hurt earlier that week. He wasn't going to risk her again.

Back in the garage, Crystal screamed loudly. "Son of a _bitch_!"

Stiles threw his hands up. "How are we gonna get to the hospital or warn Scott?"

Remembering Stiles's phone, she took it out of her purse and typed in a number, still grumbling about Peter stealing her car. "I swear if anything happens to it, he won't have to worry—hey, Boyd?"

"Crystal?"

"Yeah, it's me. Sorry if I caught you at a bad time, but this is important. Do you think you can come pick me and Stiles up?"

"Why? Don't you have a car? I know Stiles drives a crap Jeep."

"Our cars are a little out of commission at the moment. Please? I'll owe you one."

Boyd sighed. "All right. I'm not doing anything."

"Thank you!" She gave him the address and hung up. "Boyd will be here soon."

Stiles took the phone from her and started dialing, putting it on speaker. "Jackson."

"Where the hell are you?" Jackson hissed. "Lydia's in surgery and you and Crystal just up and leave? Your dad's freaking out, Stilinski."

Stiles sighed. "I know. We'll be there as soon as we can." He hung up before Jackson could say anything else.

Ten minutes later, Boyd pulled up beside them. They piled into the car. "I thought you didn't own a car," Stiles asked irrelevantly.

"I don't. It's my dad's." Boyd drove. "Where to?"

"Hospital," Stiles and Crystal said in unison. Boyd looked over at them, confused.

"Lydia was attacked," Stiles told him.

"Oh. Do you know if she's going to be okay?" It sounded like Boyd was just asking so he wouldn't come off as heartless. As far as Crystal knew, he and Lydia didn't cross paths except for in class.

"We don't know," she admitted.

* * *

Stiles burst into the hospital, Crystal right behind him. Her thigh was starting to get sore, and there might have been a little blood dripping down her leg. She glanced down. No. It was just her imagination.

Footsteps behind her made her freeze. They were quiet, not silent but not like how a normal person would walk. Hunter. She looked over her shoulder and her eyes met Chris Argent's. "We need to talk."

She looked toward Stiles, who had just found his dad and was getting chewed out. "Alone."

He nodded and led her to an empty exam room. "Where's Scott?"

"Where's your sister?" she retorted. "And what about Allison?"

"I haven't seen Kate since before I found you. Allison's at home."

Crystal shook her head, leaning against the table so she could rub some circulation back into her cold feet. "No. I don't think so. I think you told Kate to get Allison out of town until you killed Scott. But Scott hasn't done anything. He hasn't hurt anyone. Neither has Derek."

"This isn't about Derek—"

"Yes. It is. It's about Derek and Scott and Peter and Kate and the fire." She glared up at the older hunter. "I know you guys are supposed to have a code. Not all hunters follow it. Kate killed my family and most of the Hales. She and her group shot me, kidnapped me and Derek. You shot Scott in the woods, and you're trying to find him so you can put him down like a rabid dog!" With each word, her voice got more forceful. "Some code you've got."

Chris rubbed his forehead. "Who's Peter?"

She scoffed. "That's what you get from that?"

He sighed. "How do you know?" he asked reluctantly.

"I was there. I got Peter out of the fire that night. I looked out the window and saw your sister watch as the flames killed innocent werewolves, innocent _children_, and laugh." She shook, whether from the cold, her memories, or fading adrenaline. Mr. Argent took his coat off and handed it to her. She took it warily.

"I don't need you catching hypothermia on me." He headed for the door. "Do you know where they are?"

She shrugged. "I'll only tell you if I come with you."

He nodded. "Agreed." They went out to his car, luckily not running into anyone. Crystal zipped up the loose jacket as she got into the passenger seat. "Head to the preserve. I'll tell you where to go from there."

The ride was silent for maybe five minutes before Crystal was struck with a thought. "If hunters kill werewolves and get away with it, what do you guys do to pack friends?"

"We tend to leave them alone."

Her eyes widened in shock. "Why?"

"Everyone knows that normal werewolves are dangerous. What they don't know is that a pack friend can be ten times as dangerous as a rabid werewolf."

"But pack friends are human," she said slowly, trying to figure out what he was saying. "They can't do anything dangerous."

"That's where you're wrong. Pack friends may not know it, but they can handle a wolf in their pack better than a regular human. They have a special bond with at least one pack member. If the pack friend is hurt, that werewolf will go after the one who hurt their friend and kill anyone who gets in their way."

"No," she protested, unable to comprehend the magnitude of what Chris was saying.

He nodded solemnly. "Three years ago in Wisconsin, a few hunters were tracking a werewolf and called for my help. Apparently one of them had found it in the woods talking to someone. He shot a flash arrow at it, and it took off. The person it was talking to turned toward the hunter. The hunter thought they were going to attack him, and so he shot them." He shook his head at the memory. "It turned out he had just shot a fifteen year old right in the chest. He was dead in an instant."

Crystal leaned forward, curious despite herself. "What happened?"

"The hunter who killed the pack friend searched his body and found a symbol tattooed on his leg: a wolf and a boy side by side. He immediately called the others, and they took him to a safe place."

"But it wasn't safe," she guessed.

"The werewolf waited until the night of the full moon. It tracked the hunter down. It didn't even bother with being sneaky—just burst in through the front window. The first hunter was dead in an instant. His throat was slit. It was the most merciful death that night."

"The werewolf killed the others, but took their time with the one who killed the pack friend," Crystal guessed.

He nodded again. "There was blood everywhere. We never tracked the werewolf down." She shuddered, wrapping the jacket even more tightly around her.

"You said pack friends also…they can handle their pack better?"

"The werewolves are more likely to listen to them than they are another human. They won't hurt a pack friend on purpose, and very rarely do they hurt them on accident."

She remembered the night Scott was bit. Peter had shoved her aside, but he could have hit her a lot harder. He could have broken her ribs. "You know he's going to kill her," she warned.

"I figured. I'm going to try to stop him, though."

"Let me talk to him," she said suddenly. She liked Allison's dad, even if he was more of a shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later kind of guy. She didn't want him dead, which was exactly what would happen if he tried to stop Peter.

"Who, the Alpha?"

"His name is Peter. If he'll listen to anybody, he'll listen to me."

_I hope._

* * *

Crystal directed him to a dirt road, and they drove until she said, "Stop." He hit the brakes without question. She got out, grinning at the Lexus parked next to them. Leaves barely crunched under her bare feet, something that she hadn't felt in years. "Good, he didn't wreck it." She tried the door, a little upset that it was unlocked. A piece of paper was on the floor. Picking it up, she saw there was a drawing of a key on it. She rolled her eyes but took the keys out from under the floor mat and locked her car, tucking the keys safely in the pocket of her borrowed coat. "Come on. We have to go from here on foot."

Mr. Argent followed her. "Here." She looked down in surprise at the arrowhead in his hand. "Just in case."

She smirked. "Can't I have a knife?"

"No."

A gunshot sounded nearby. They looked at each other and moved faster, Crystal falling back since Mr. Argent was the one with the gun.

They reached the Hale house. In front of it, Kate stood over Scott, pointing a gun between his eyes. Allison was on the ground behind her. Derek was closer to her, but he wasn't moving.

"Kate. Kate, what are you doing?" Allison asked, panicked. Nobody had noticed them yet.

"I love those brown eyes."

"Kate!" Chris hollered, drawing everyone's attention. "I know what you did. Put the gun down."

Kate looked at her brother, incredulous. "I did what I was told to do."

"Nobody asked you to murder innocent people."

"None of them were innocent," Kate spat.

Crystal leveled a deadly glare at her. "Yes, there were. Helena. Heather. Cora. _Me_. All of us children, sentenced to die because some insane bitch decided we were less than human!" She was shouting at that point, gripping the arrowhead tightly in her fist. The edges bit into her hand.

"You're holding a gun to an innocent boy. We don't have any proof he spilled human blood." Wow. Chris Argent was certainly doing a quick one-eighty. Merely an hour ago he was ready to put a bullet through Scott's head himself. "We go by the Code." He rattled off something in French. Crystal didn't recognize it, but Allison must have. The night was quiet and still enough that the translation reached everyone's ears.

"We hunt those who hunt us."

Chris pulled the gun he had behind his back. "Put the gun down." Kate didn't move, so he fired a warning shot into the tree behind her. "Before I put you down."

Crystal grinned madly and went over to Scott. "You okay?" He nodded. The door behind them creaked open ominously. She rolled her eyes at the theatrics but sidestepped until she was leaning against the tree Chris had just shot. Everyone else snapped to attention.

"Allison, get back," Chris warned.

"What is it?" the young hunter breathed.

"It's the Alpha," Scott told her.

"Kate only," Crystal reminded Peter under her breath.

Kate spoke to her, never taking her eyes off the door. "Call him off."

She laughed and heard a darker laugh echo from inside. "Oh, honey, you're hilarious. Even if I _could_, I wouldn't. He deserves this."

Dual cries of alarm met her ears, but Scott and Allison didn't have time to verbally protest. Peter darted out of the open door and raced around them, knocking Chris to the ground. Crystal bit her lip worriedly when he didn't get up, taking a few steps forward. Allison went down next, but she was still conscious. Her bow flew across the leaves. That left Scott and Kate. Wait. Where did Kate go?

Scott didn't last long before Peter knocked him out, too. A strong arm wrapped around Crystal's throat in a chokehold. It wasn't the same arm she had bit a few days earlier. Her hands went up to loosen Kate's grip, and she noticed blood. "Dumbass," she rebuked herself even as Peter growled loudly. She twisted the arrowhead in her hand awkwardly and stabbed it in Kate's arm as hard as she could.

Kate screamed, releasing her. She stumbled back and Peter took her place, gripping Kate's bandaged wrist tightly. She screamed even louder, her voice breaking. Peter looked over at Crystal curiously.

"I bit her. Made her bleed."

His eyes glinted with pride and satisfaction even as he squeezed tighter, making Kate drop her gun before he broke her wrist in half. Crystal winced at the loud sound, looking away. When she looked back, Peter was dragging Kate into the house.

"No!" Allison cried, scrambling up to follow. Crystal was steps behind her. They stopped in the entrance to what used to be the living room. Peter stood behind Kate, claws at her throat.

"She is beautiful, Kate," Peter breathed. Tears pricked the corner of his eyes. "She looks like you. Probably not as damaged. So I'm going to give you a chance to save your darling niece." His grip tightened. "Say you're sorry for everything you've done. Decimating my family. Making Crystal an orphan."

"For giving me nightmares and panic attacks," Crystal continued. "For leaving Peter a burned shell of himself for six years. For ruining _all_ of our lives." She gestured to Allison, Peter, and herself.

Allison gaped at her. "How are you okay with this?" she whispered, tears in her eyes.

Crystal didn't answer. She just looked at Kate. The hunter's eyes were filled with fear. Kate knew she was going to die, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. "Now you know how my pack felt the night you burned them alive," she whispered venomously. "Luckily for you, Allison and Chris won't have to hear you scream."

"I'm sorry," Kate breathed, shaking. Peter's face twisted. He ripped the arrowhead that was still stuck in Kate's arm free and drove it through the back of her neck until the tip poked out the other end. Crystal's stomach rolled. She closed her eyes, but she didn't cover her ears. She could hear Kate choke on her own blood. It was a surprisingly quick death; Peter must have severed something important. As soon as Kate stopped choking, Crystal opened her eyes. Allison sobbed.

Peter looked at her, tears drying from his eyes. A red glint took their place. Oh, crap. "I don't know about you, but I don't think that apology sounded very sincere."

Crystal shoved Allison back, sending her sprawling. "Go!"

As Allison ran for her life, Crystal did something completely idiotic: she placed herself in the path of one extremely pissed off werewolf.

"Move," he growled deeply.

She shook her head. "Peter, it's over. You can stop now."

"It won't be over," he snapped. "Not until they're all dead."

"Don't make me beg," she told him. He hated begging, he always had, but she was willing to do it.

Scott appeared out of nowhere and shoved her into Derek's waiting arms. Derek carried her like a child down the hallway, ignoring her struggles.

"Let me go! Derek, let go of me! I can stop this!" she insisted. Growls split the air. She looked over his shoulder, worried for both of them. Derek stopped. She turned her head.

"No." She twisted, and Derek let her drop to the floor. It stunned her long enough for Derek to open the door, shove her in, and close it again.

Crashing echoed throughout the house. Derek and Scott were fighting Peter less than fifty feet away, and she was _here_. In the same bathroom where she and Cora had hid. Her breath came in short gasps, déjà vu setting in. Finding the door either jammed or blocked, she pounded on it. Partially dried blood smeared where she hit. "Peter!" Her voice was shrill to her ears. She didn't even care about what it sounded like to the others. "Derek! Scott! One of you get me out of here or I swear I will walk you around on a leash for the next month!" Her threat was completely asinine and unrealistic, but she didn't care.

Two short snarls followed a faint rumbling. Things were getting worse, but at least they were all still alive.

"Come on, guys!" She sank down, trying to catch her breath. She was trapped in the same room she had been in just over six years ago. Just like then, she couldn't do anything to prevent the horrible sounds that reached her ears.

A blood-curdling howl split the air. Her head shot up, and her brain short-circuited. She knew that howl. "_Peter!_" She flew at the door, scratching and beating at it until it swung open. Scott reached out to catch her before she could fall flat on her face. "What did you _do?!_" Without waiting for a response, she shoved Scott aside and ran until she was out on the porch. She froze. Stiles and Jackson were standing near Jackson's Porsche. Allison and her dad were closer to her, near where they had been when Peter attacked. Derek was standing over a charred figure. Without even needing the smell in the air to confirm it, she knew who was on the ground. He was the only one missing. Tears filled her eyes.

"Peter," she breathed.

_She rushed to put out the fire on his clothes. Peter wasn't screaming, wasn't moving. "Come on, Peter," she sobbed. The cold winter air was a stark contrast to the blazing heat of the flames, but it hurt in its own way. Sirens echoed in the distance. "Wake up." Her voice broke. He _despised_ it when people begged, and at a young age she learned that begging would get you nowhere with him. She couldn't help it. She was absolutely terrified. The others had stopped screaming, but she and Peter were the only ones who had made it out. She had seen the flames come up between her and Cora before the younger girl could reach her. They had looked at each other fearfully across the barrier before Cora had fallen to her hands and knees, hacking. Crystal was only able to save one of them, and it hadn't been Cora. Now her best friend was dead. Peter was all she had left, and he was probably dying. "Don't leave me alone."_

Crystal fell to her knees. Her bare skin scraped the wood, and she probably had several splinters in her legs and feet by now along with her cut and bloody hands. She didn't care.

"Derek, wait!" Scott called from beside her. "You said that the cure comes from killing the one who bit you." He ignored her fierce tear-filled glare. "If you do this, I'm dead." He gestured at the Argents. "I'll never see her again."

_Oh, sure. Worry about your relationship with the girl you fell in love with not even two months ago. Don't worry about your foster sister, who is having traumatic flashbacks right beside you_, Crystal thought disgustedly.

"If any of you even _touch _him—"

Peter interrupted her quiet threat. "He's…already…decided. I can smell it."

A chill spread throughout Crystal and kept her rooted to the spot. Derek's claws rose and fell in a heartbeat. She didn't see it, but she knew when Peter died. Derek looked at all of them, red eyes glowing.

"I'm the Alpha now."

His words released her from her petrified state, and she screamed.

* * *

"_Peter!" _

Everybody flinched at the heart-shattering cry that fell from the girl's lips. Chris wrapped his arms around his daughter while she buried her face in his chest to escape the sound.

As soon as it died down, Scott, who was closest, reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder. She swiped it away, scrambling up. "No." Glaring at him, she backed down the steps. "You don't get to touch me, Scott McCall." Tear-filled eyes swept the yard, landing on everybody but Chris. "None of you do." Her eyes landed on Derek last, and she flew toward him. "Get away from him!" Derek rolled his eyes but stepped back. "Don't you _dare_ roll your eyes. You just _killed _your _uncle_, the only family I had _left!_"

Scott made a soft indignant sound. Unfortunately for him, Crystal heard it. "You're not my family. Your mom was kind enough to take me in after the fire, that's it." Scott flinched like he had been struck.

Chris knew if she kept going, she would say something that she would soon regret. At the same time, he knew that she was spinning, her entire world ripped out from underneath her. The only two choices were to cry or get angry. So, for now, he let her be angry.

"That same fire killed your pack, your family." She jabbed her finger angrily in Derek's direction. "And what did you and Laura do? You _ran_. You didn't check up on us. You didn't go after the bastards who destroyed our lives. No, you just _ran_ with your tails between your legs like scared little puppies!"

The new Alpha's face contorted with rage. "What should we have done? Gone on a suicide mission after someone who wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet through our skulls?"

"You _should_ have gone to a pack that was allies with the Hales! You should have told them everything, and they would have helped get revenge!" She laughed scornfully. "But you ran and hid, leaving Peter and I in our own living hells. And then, when Peter _does_ get better, and goes after everyone who was involved, that's when you decide to come crawling back."

"Because my sister was dead!" he roared.

"Your _entire family_ was dead!" she shrieked. "But you only chose to avenge Laura. Cora, Heather, Helena, our parents—what, were you just going to let their killers go unpunished?! Oh, wait." She sneered. "You _were_."

"You can't just go around killing—"

"Shh," Chris warned his daughter. Crystal focused on Allison next, stalking toward them.

"Yes, we can. Because that's what werewolves do. They _avenge_ their fallen pack members! They destroy the people responsible. Why do you think Peter was going after you? Because you _left me _in the hands of your psychotic aunt for _three days_ before you finally decided to tell Chris where I was."

His daughter had sent him the text?

Crystal noted his surprise. "Oh, that's _wonderful_. You didn't even have the balls to tell him in person. What did you do, send him a text from a burn phone?" Allison looked down slightly. "You _did_!" Crystal rolled her eyes. "Wonderful. And even after you saw what she was doing, you still went along with her plan to kill Scott and Derek!"

She really was pack friend. Even though she was pissed at Scott and Derek, she was also angry on their behalf.

Allison turned to face her, even with one of Chris's arms over her shoulder. "Kate _said_—"

Chris knew that was the wrong thing to say. Crystal's eyes burned even brighter with rage, the gold in her eyes shining. "Oh, Kate said? You knew she was torturing us, holding us captive, and you _still_ trusted her?" Her voice turned mocking. "Of course you did. Because nobody could ever lie straight to sweet little Allison's face. Nobody could _possibly_ use her for their own gain. You are so _easy_, sweetie." Scorn dripped from every word. "That's going to be your excuse? 'I didn't know'?"

"Crystal," he warned. This was getting out of control.

She held up her hand. "No. Your daughter was an easily manipulated puppet who was too blind to see what was in front of her with her own eyes. The sooner she takes responsibility for her own moronic actions, the better for everyone around her."

"And you thought your precious Peter was just going to let all of us live? Now who's the stupid one?" Allison retorted.

"Allison!"

Fists clenched tightly at her sides, Crystal snarled like a wolf. "No. I am not responsible for Peter. I can't control what he does, regardless of what everyone else seems to think. He doesn't take orders well. I _could_, however, _talk _to him, try to _reason_ with him! I told him that it would end with Kate."

"And he still tried to kill Allison and her father," Scott said, speaking for the first time since Crystal started her verbal rampage.

"No. He tried to kill _Allison_." She shrugged. "I told him that Chris was the one who saved me, and that I owed him one. Peter would have respected that." He noticed that she had started calling him by his first name. Interesting. "Unfortunately, you all _killed_ him before I could talk him down!"

"You couldn't talk him out of it. He killed Laura," Derek growled.

"And you killed him. Who's worse?" she spat. She walked over to Peter's body and looked down at it. Suddenly, all the fight drained out of her and she collapsed next to it. Her face was resigned when she turned to them. "Leave."

Stiles, who had been standing by the Porsche throughout everything, moved until he was right next to her. She shrugged away from him. "I said, leave."

Chris looked down at Allison and handed her the keys. "Give me your necklace." She frowned but handed it over. "Take the car. Go home."

"How are you going to get back?" He gave her a firm look, and she sighed. "Right. Where is it?"

He pointed in the direction he and Crystal had come from. "It's not far. Just keep going straight and you'll find it."

She nodded. With a quick glance over her shoulder at Scott, she gathered up her bow and left. Stiles pulled Scott away and they started talking quietly. Derek stood near Crystal, watching her. When Chris approached, the new Alpha watched him warily. "I'll get her home," Chris said softly. Derek looked between the two of them.

"Go away, Derek." Crystal's soft, broken voice had more of an impact on him than her yelling. Derek frowned but disappeared into the burned out shell of the Hale house. Chris looked over at the boys glancing in their direction and waved them away. Scott and Stiles frowned. Jackson climbed into the front seat of the Porsche. Stiles and Scott scrambled in after him, worried they would be left behind and would have to walk back to town. After they left, Chris sat on the ground with a heavy sigh. He looked at the pendant in his hands and traced the shapes with his fingers, thinking about his sister.

They sat in silence for several minutes before Crystal broke it. "Why are you still here?"

"I still have to put this on Kate." He held up the pendant. "Sheriff Stilinski knows the arsonist was wearing this necklace."

"When he finds that on her, the case will be closed," she finished apathetically. He nodded. She glanced over at him, puffy eyes still leaking tears. "I'm sorry about your sister."

He huffed. "No, you're not."

"No," she admitted. "I'm not. But I _am_ sorry that you'll have to deal with the fallout. For a hunter, you're not so bad." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You don't deserve that."

Chris looked over at her. "And you didn't deserve what Kate put you through."

She shook her head slightly. "It doesn't matter anymore. She's dead. They both are."

He reached out and pulled her toward him. She didn't resist, curling up beside him and dropping her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about Peter."

She laughed tearfully. "No, you're not."

He smiled slightly at her response. "I'm sorry that you're suffering because of his death."

She nodded, accepting it. "He wasn't all bad."

"Neither was Kate." His father had done a number on her—on both of his children—but he could still see Kate as a young girl, laughing as she chased him around the yard.

"I guess it's a matter of perspective." She wiped her eyes. "Where are we going to bury him?"

"I don't know. Where do you think he would like to be buried?"

"The living room," she said quickly. "We can't take him to a graveyard. I'm not leaving him in the woods. His study and the living room were his favorite places, but his study was upstairs." She shook her head quickly. "No. We can't bury him right away; we need to call the Sheriff. If he sees a fresh pile of dirt, he'll get suspicious. We have to take him to the cellar."

Chris nodded. "Do you want me to help you?"

"Please." They stood up. "There are two entrances. One's in the woods. The other one is inside, but…."

Chris nodded, heart sinking. To get to it, they would have to pass Kate's body. "Which one's easier?"

"The one inside," she said reluctantly.

"I'll take care of it." Derek stepped onto the porch.

She glared balefully at him, some life returning to her eyes. "No. You can play butler and get the doors for us." She leaned over Peter's body, trying to pull him up by the shoulders. Chris shook his head and directed her to the legs. With Derek's help, they maneuvered the body up the stairs and inside. Crystal stopped in the hallway. "Derek, put a blanket over Kate."

Derek raised his eyebrows. She glared again. He huffed but followed her order. When that was done, he opened the door leading to the cellar. Crystal started down the stairs carefully, looking over her shoulder so she wouldn't trip. When they reached the bottom, she moved Peter out of the pathway.

"Let me have the pendant."

Chris shook his head. "No. She's my sister."

"That is exactly why you shouldn't have to do it." She frowned. "You've helped me. Let me help you."

He sighed and dropped the necklace in her hand.

* * *

Scott looked down at his sleeping foster sister. No, not sister. Friend. And perhaps not even that anymore.

_You're not my family._ Her voice echoed in his ears, bouncing around his brain painfully.

He didn't like that they had hurt her, but if Peter hadn't been stopped, he would have kept killing.

_I could talk to him, try to reason with him_.

Scott gripped the necklace tightly in his hand. Her words cut deep. There was a reason they had tried to avoid getting on her bad side. Unfortunately Crystal's vicious side had come out in full force, and nobody had been spared her wrath. She might not have directed it at all of them, but her words had affected each of them. He had felt it.

He put the necklace on her bedside table and left, shutting the door behind him. He had to go to the hospital to check up on Lydia. Then he was going to see Allison, to make sure she was all right.

* * *

**So? What did you think?  
**


	14. Aftermath

**Welcome to the start of season 2!**

**Disclaimer and all that jazz.**

* * *

He was floating, wrapped in darkness. There was nothing. No noise, no light, no air around him. It frightened him. He opened what should have been his mouth to scream, but no sound emerged. He wished he could see something. _A__nything_. He wanted _out. _

Suddenly, two faint lights shone around him. It was enough to blind him after what felt like an eternity of darkness. When his vision finally readjusted, he saw two threads. One was gossamer thin, appearing delicate as glass. It was molten gold with flecks of green and midnight blue entwined in it, the gold flickering like fire. It even had a scent. It smelled like the woods at night after it had rained. It smelled like pack. The scent calmed his frazzled mind as he inhaled greedily.

Finally he turned to the second one; it was a thick rope in comparison to the first. It was a mixture of colors in various shades: reds, blues, greens, yellows, oranges, even a few purples here and there. This thread didn't have a scent, but he knew who each thread belonged to. He wanted so badly to grab onto the thinner one, but it was so fragile he felt he could tear it in fragments just by breathing on it. To tear the thread would most likely destroy her. So, with one last glance at the thread, he grabbed the rope and began to climb.

* * *

Crystal Braddock sat in her room, gazing out at the nearly full moon. Her door opened suddenly, but she didn't turn around. "Leave me alone, Scott."

The scrambling of feet made her look over her shoulder. It was Stiles, not Scott, who stood in her room. He looked freaked. "Lydia's missing."

"What?"

"We were in the hospital—well, she and I were, not alone of course—I was getting a snack and she was in her room. I heard her scream, so me and her dad and your mom—"

"Scott's mom," she corrected.

Stiles waved it away. "We went to check on her and she was gone, but her window was open and her gown was on the floor."

Crystal gaped. "You mean to tell me that Lydia Martin's God knows where, in this weather, naked?"

He nodded. She grabbed a jacket, tennis shoes, her phone and her keys. He looked at her hopefully. "You'll help us?"

"It's for Lydia."

"I thought you didn't like her that much," Stiles remarked as they headed outside.

"She's actually pretty cool." Lydia was one of the few friends she had left. She would help find her, even if it meant working with the people she was furious with.

Scott was waiting by the Jeep. He looked surprised and wary to see her. "Hey, Crystal."

She focused on the object in his hand. "You have her scent?" Scott nodded. "Then let's go."

Before they could leave, another car pulled up behind them. Scott panicked. "What are you doing here? Someone could see you!"

Allison looked at her boyfriend. "I don't care. She's my best friend. We need to find her before anybody else does."

"I can track her before the cops do," Scott assured her.

She shook her head. "It's not the cops I'm worried about. I just saw my dad leave with three other guys in their SUVs."

Crystal rubbed her temples. Damn it, Chris.

"A search party," Scott guessed.

"More like a hunting party," Allison corrected.

The boys climbed into the Jeep. "Get in," Scott told them.

The girls looked at each other. "I'm not riding with her," Allison protested before Crystal could.

"Great. I'll take my car. I don't want the stench of little miss perfect soaking into my upholstery anyway." She walked toward her car before Allison could finish gasping in protest.

"Ladies," Stiles warned. "Catfight later."

Crystal waved out her window and followed Stiles until they wound up at the preserve. They climbed out. "Does Lydia's trail lead where I think it leads?" she asked warily.

Scott followed his nose up to the Hale house. She sighed, chest tightening at the familiar place. She didn't want to be back here so soon.

"Has Lydia ever been here before?" Stiles asked.

"If she was, she didn't tell me."

"She hasn't been here with me," Allison added. "Maybe she came here on instinct?"

"Looking for Derek," Stiles guessed. "Looking for an Alpha."

"Wolves need a pack, right?"

"Not all of them," Scott said.

"_Every_ wolf needs a pack, Scott, natural or otherwise. You have a pack, too; just not a typical one." Crystal stared up at the house, wondering if she was mentally able to handle visiting Peter's grave. No. Not tonight. It hadn't even been three days. She turned her back on the house.

"Would she have been drawn to an Alpha? Is it instinct to be part of a pack?" Allison asked, purposefully ignoring Crystal. Stiles started looking around. Crystal leaned up against a tree, crossing her arms.

Scott nodded. "We're stronger in packs."

"Like strength in numbers."

"No. We're literally stronger, faster. Better in every way."

"Is it the same for an Alpha?"

Scott nodded. "It'd make Derek stronger, too."

Stiles drew their attention, pointing to something on the ground. "I think this is a tripwire."

"Then maybe—" Crystal rolled her eyes when Stiles yanked on it, sending Scott flying up into the air. "—you shouldn't _touch _it," she finished, bringing the back of her head against the tree. "Idiot."

Stiles looked at her with wide eyes. "What did I do?" She pointed. Stiles spun around. "Oh. Oops." He went over with Allison to try to get Scott down.

"Stiles, dude, next time you see a tripwire, don't trip it." Scott looked at Crystal as he dangled. "Are you going to help?"

"Nah. Your girlfriend's probably got a knife or an arrow stashed somewhere, like a good hunter."

"Oh, my _God_!" Stiles cried as Allison opened her mouth. "Now is _not_ the time for this! Crystal, get over here and help us get him down."

Scott's eyes bugged. "Guys, someone's coming! Hide!" Allison and Stiles hesitated. Scott waved them off. "Go!"

Crystal didn't bother to hide, seeing it was only Chris. He stopped when he saw what, or rather _who_, the snare had caught. "Scott?"

Scott waved. "Mr. Argent."

Chris frowned, unimpressed, and looked between them. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh, you know. Just hanging out."

"Very funny, Scott. Really witty." Crystal walked over to him and tapped his leg, causing him to spin in a circle. He gritted his teeth. She smirked before directing her attention back to the unamused hunter in front of her. "We're looking for someone."

"About five-three, green eyes, red hair?"

"Strawberry blonde," they corrected him in unison, having listened to Stiles fawn over that hair for years.

"My mistake."

"Lydia's my friend. She's the only reason I'm out here," Crystal told him. "Scott's only here because I begged him."

"She's my friend, too," Scott protested.

Chris nodded. "Oh. Right. Lydia's in your little group now, isn't she? A member of your…clique? Is that the word you use?" He knelt in front of Scott. "Or do you call it something else? Like, maybe, a pack?"

Crystal laughed, unamused at his obvious line of questioning. "There are no _packs_ in Beacon Hills. Not anymore."

"I hope that's true. Because I know Lydia's a friend of Allison's, and one special circumstance I can handle." He looked significantly at Scott. "I can't handle two." _Handle_ as in tolerate, or _handle_ as in keep a secret from the other hunters? She mused over his word choice.

His next sentence pulled her onto a new train of thought. "Do either of you know what a hemicorporectomy is?"

"I have a feeling I don't want to," Scott said weakly.

"The –ectomy sounds like it could be from appendectomy, which is when your appendix is removed. So I'm gonna take a wild guess and say it has something to do with cutting someone open."

Scott shuddered next to her, and she got a chill when Chris nodded. "It's actually a medical term for amputating someone at the waist." He held his arm up to Scott's midsection.

"Cutting them in half," she finished. Goosebumps erupted along her arms.

"It takes a tremendous amount of strength to cut through all the tissue and bone like that." Chris rose. "Let's hope a demonstration doesn't become necessary." He walked off. "Have a nice night."

"Bye, Chris. Nice talking to you!" she called sarcastically.

Stiles and Allison didn't even wait ten seconds before they were at Scott's side.

"You okay?" Allison asked.

Scott nodded. "Yeah. Just another life-threatening conversation with your dad. I'm getting used to them." He swiped his claws across the wire and dropped. "Let's go."

"Why didn't you do that earlier?" Stiles asked.

Scott smiled. "I didn't think of it until now."

"Can you pick up Lydia's scent? Figure out where she went from here?" Crystal asked.

Scott sniffed the air. "No." He frowned at Allison. "Sorry."

"Some werewolf you are," Crystal muttered, leading the way back to their cars. She could hear them talking behind her.

"Who knew Crystal could be such a…."

"A bitch?" Scott finished his girlfriend's sentence.

"Well, come on. I mean, Allison _did_ leave her at Kate's mercy for three days, and we _did_ kind of get Peter killed right in front of her," Stiles argued. That was nice of him. "Don't you remember after the fire? She didn't talk for, like, two weeks. She was in the hospital because she wouldn't eat or sleep by herself."

"And that's terrible, it really is."

"I hear a 'but' coming on. If you even think about saying it, I'm going to come back there and punch you in the throat," Crystal called over her shoulder. "I don't care if Scott's stronger than me, or that your daddy is a hunter with guns and knives."

"Holy—how did she hear us? Does she have wolf hearing? Can you get wolf hearing by just hanging out with other werewolves? Did you get bit and not tell us?" He raised his voice on that last question.

"It's quiet out tonight. Besides, living with werewolves means you learn to keep your eyes and ears peeled. It's training, not special powers."

"You didn't answer my last question."

"No. If I were a werewolf, I would have run here instead of wasting the gas." They were almost to the road. She could see her car.

"Can you teach me how to hear like a werewolf?" Stiles kicked up a ton of leaves as he approached her. "How did you learn?"

"Peter taught me."

* * *

The next day, the car ride to school was tense. Crystal had wanted to make Stiles pick Scott up, or have him run to school. Unfortunately, it would look suspicious to anyone paying attention. Stiles was waiting for them up on the sidewalk, close to a homeless guy who shifted and looked down as Scott walked by. "Hey, guys. You need to hear this. So, my dad got a call from the cemetery. Someone dug up a corpse and took the corpse's liver."

"Gross." Crystal grimaced.

"Oh, it gets better. He also said the K-9 unit tracked Lydia to the graveyard. To that _same _grave." Stiles let that sink in.

"She _ate_ the liver? From a _dead body_?" Scott asked, horrified.

"Well, where else would someone get a liver? Rip it out of a living human? That's a great way to become a serial killer," she said sarcastically.

Stiles shivered. "Thank you for that wonderful mental image, Crystal. That just put me off lunch for today. Maybe even the rest of the week." He shook his head, returning to the topic. "Besides, I never said she _ate_ it. I only said it was missing and that the dogs tracked her there."

"That's either a very big coincidence, or she really did take it. And why take it if you're not going to…you know," Scott finished weakly.

Crystal glanced over her shoulder at the homeless guy, getting a better look at him. She had never seen him before. Granted, she didn't see many homeless people around Beacon Hills, but she also never saw them rummaging through trash cans on campus while school was open.

Maybe the dogs hadn't been tracking Lydia after all. Maybe they had found a different scent.

She broke away from the boys, not that they noticed, and leaped down the stairs to land right next to the homeless guy. He looked up at her for a moment, his eyes almost immediately dropping to her necklace. He flinched. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I don't want any trouble. I just came to town looking for the Alpha."

"Oh, no. It's cool." She smiled at him. "Just one quick question. Were you at the cemetery last night?" He nodded. "Follow up question." She dropped her voice. "You didn't happen to either take a liver or see a naked girl running through the woods, did you?"

He frowned, confused. "I took the liver, but I didn't see a girl."

She sighed. "Great. Thanks for your time." She paused. "I don't know where the Alpha is, but I know where you can start. The old Hale house on the preserve. Just don't disturb anything."

The werewolf was even more confused. "You don't know where your Alpha is?"

She held up her necklace. "He's not my Alpha. My pack died. This is all that's left of them."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be."

"Hey, Braddock. I knew you hung out with freaks, but this is a new low, even for you."

Crystal's mouth twisted into a snarl as she faced Jackson. "Get lost, Whittemore!"

He smirked. "And here I thought you couldn't get any more pathetic." He raised his voice. "Security!"

She turned to the werewolf. "You should go." He nodded and took off. She glared darkly at Jackson. "You want to talk about pathetic, Whittemore? You got drunk and went out to find the Alpha, ready to roll over like a good little bitch so that he'd bite you. I wish I had taped it so everyone could see you begging for it."

He bared his teeth in a parody of a grin. "Yeah, but the new Alpha in town gave me what I wanted. Guess begging works after all."

He walked off, leaving Crystal stunned. Derek had given Jackson the bite? Jackson _Whittemore_, the most self-centered narcissistic asshole to ever step foot in Beacon Hills?

"I am going to _kill_ him," she hissed.

* * *

By the time Chemistry rolled around, Crystal had decided not to call Derek. In a town like Beacon Hills, where pretty much everything that happened was somehow tied in with the supernatural, she knew their paths would cross eventually. Then it wouldn't look like she was seeking him out.

A tall boy she vaguely recognized handed her a piece of paper, jolting her out of her thoughts. "Thanks." She mentally groaned when she saw what it was. Harris had decided today would be a good day for a pop quiz. She had barely even started when she heard Stiles speaking softly.

Harris heard it, too. "Mr. Stilinski, this is a pop quiz. If I hear you speak again, I might just be tempted to give you detention for the rest of your high school career."

_Can he do that?_ She thought as Stiles asked the very same question.

"There it is again. Your voice. Triggering the only impulse I've ever had to strike a student repeatedly and violently."

The pencil snapped in her hands. This had been a _really _bad week for her, and she was a hair away from snapping completely. The words came out in a violent hiss. "If you raise a hand to him, I'll hit you first." The entire class went silent. She could feel all of their eyes on her. She twisted her lips into a derisive smirk, her tone turning darkly playful. "You really need to find a better hobby, Harris. I'd suggest needlepoint."

The class stifled their laughter. "Detention, both of you." Harris pointed to her and Stiles. She grinned at the slight fear in his eyes. "Three o' clock. And Miss Braddock." He approached her table. Her table partner flinched away slightly. "If you ever threaten me like that again—"

"What'll you do? You can't touch me. I have the upper hand here, and we both know it," she replied softly. Harris broke their stare down quickly and retreated to the front of the room. She smirked at her paper. Several people gazed at her in awe.

"What?" her table partner asked.

"He gave me detention."

Jackson suddenly got out of his seat and left the room in a hurry. Curious, she finished up her quiz and followed him. Harris didn't try to stop her. Instead of Jackson, she found Derek walking down the hallway. "What the hell?"

She knew he heard her because he straightened but he kept walking. She ran up until she was walking beside him. "Derek! What are you doing here?"

"Don't worry. I'm not here for you or Scott."

"Jackson." He didn't deny it. "What possessed you to think that turning Jackson into a werewolf was a good idea? News flash: it wasn't. It was a very _bad_ idea."

"It doesn't matter."

"What?" She grabbed his jacket to stop him. He snarled at her, eyes glowing red. "No. Tell me what you meant."

Derek sighed angrily. "Fine. His body's rejecting the bite."

"_Seriously?_"

"I don't know why. And I don't know how he survived this long before his body decided that it wouldn't let the bite take."

She had no idea, so she left it alone for now. "Bringing it back around to my original question, _why_?"

"Because I need a pack."

"Look. Packs work together as a team. Jackson is not a team player. Ergo, Jackson would not do well in a pack." She remembered the homeless man. "I met a werewolf earlier this morning. He said he was looking for the Alpha. Maybe you can rope him into being part of your new pack."

"That means he's an Omega."

She frowned. "I didn't even think of that."

"It would be a lot easier if Scott and Jackson would just agree to be in my pack," he growled. "And if you agreed to the bite."

"No," she protested immediately. "Not happening. Not anymore." She walked away, leaving Derek standing alone.

* * *

The rest of the day passed in a blur. She debated on going to the funeral after detention, just to check up on Chris, but decided it wouldn't be worth it. She curled up in her room with her stuffed wolf in her lap. Melissa came home a few hours later.

"Hey."

Crystal waved, playing with one of the wolf's ears. Melissa sat on the corner of her bed. "You're avoiding us."

"Peter's dead."

Melissa's face fell. "Oh, honey. I'm sorry."

"It's fine."

"No, it's not. It sucks. It especially sucks when you were close to that person."

_It also sucks when your friends are the ones who killed him_. Not that Melissa knew that.

"But honey, shutting yourself away isn't going to help anything."

Crystal laughed derisively. "It helps, though. Isn't that what wounded animals do? Curl up somewhere, lick their wounds, and snap at anyone who gets too close?"

"Not all of them." Melissa pointed to the wolf between them. "Wolves have packs."

"Yeah, well, I'm not a wolf."

A voice that sounded like Laura's whispered in her mind. _You're pack friend. Pack protects its own. _

_But you're all gone_, she thought.

_We're gone, but you have a new pack. _It was Cora's voice this time. _Melissa. Stiles. Lydia. Boyd. You still have Scott and Derek, if you stop pushing them away. You even have the hunter. Chris, was it?_

"Look, all I'm saying is, if you want to talk, I'll be more than willing to listen." Melissa kissed her forehead, breaking her out of her thoughts. "Come downstairs and I'll make dinner." She left.

Crystal stared at the open doorway for a second before scrambling out of bed, nearly tripping herself on her bed sheets. When she got to the kitchen, she wrapped Melissa in a hug. "Thanks."

"No problem, sweetie. Now, what do you want to eat?"

"Do we have pasta? I want spaghetti." She looked through the cupboards, pulling out a box with a triumphant cry. "Got a box!"

"And I have the sauce." Melissa held it up. "Let's get cooking."

While they waited on the food, Scott burst in through the door. "They found Lydia."

"What? Where?"

"Stiles and his dad were by the woods and she just walked out. She's all right, just a little confused and cold."

"I'd bet." Melissa checked the noodles and sauce. "They're done." Scott and Crystal got the plates and forks while she finished up the spaghetti, and they sat down to eat. Melissa spent most of the time talking, looking back and forth between her kids who barely looked at each other. Scott kept looking at his plate, while Crystal's attention was focused on her. She sighed. "All right, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," both of them said. Crystal's denial was slightly more believable than Scott's.

"No, it's not nothing. I haven't seen you two even sit near each other since Friday. What happened?"

"Scott's an idiot." Crystal focused on twirling spaghetti around her fork.

Scott protested angrily. "How am _I_ the idiot here? You're the one who won't talk to anybody unless it's to insult us."

"Technically, I'm insulting your girlfriend. I'm generally ignoring you, and Stiles is the only one in my good graces right now."

"She's not my girlfriend." He glared at her when she snorted.

"Hold on, hold on." Melissa held up her hand. "Crystal, why are you insulting Allison? She seems like a nice girl."

"Yeah, nice and easy."

"You liked her at one point. What changed?"

"She did something I found completely idiotic, and she let someone talk her into something. One thing led to another and her naïveté got someone…hurt."

Melissa blinked. Well, that was incredibly vague. "Did she know what she was doing would hurt someone?"

"Yes."

"_No_," Scott defended.

The fork dropped to the plate as Crystal scowled at him. "Oh, come _on_, Scott! She can't have been _that_ dumb. What happens when you take an—" she glanced at Melissa worriedly. Melissa took that as her cue.

"I'm going to take this into the living room and let you work this out. Don't kill each other."

"I'll try not," Crystal growled.

As soon as Melissa left, they returned to their argument. "She shot _arrows_ into Derek and nearly blinded you with another one! What did she think would happen, it would rain glitter and rainbows?"

"She didn't know Kate was going to try to kill us!"

She snorted. "Why are you even defending her? Are you really that blind?"

"Why are you willing to defend Peter?"

She glared fiercely at him. "Don't you _dare_ drag him into this."

"Why not? You're willing to attack Allison when she's not here to defend herself, why can't I do the same?"

"Because he's _dead_!" Tears stung her eyes for the millionth time in the last three days. How had she not run out of tears by now? "I didn't argue with Peter when he wanted to kill Kate. I couldn't have stopped him even if I had wanted to. You can't just boss Peter around and expect him to follow your orders. He does—_did_—what he wanted, when he wanted to. But I could have talked to him. He would have been willing to listen to me, if you had just given me a chance! Instead, you threw me to Derek. He locked me in a bathroom, the very same bathroom I was in six years ago. Do you know how horrible that was? It was history repeating itself. I couldn't help anyone then, and I couldn't help anyone on Friday."

Scott's face softened. "Crystal, I'm sorry."

"No. You don't get to pity me. Not now, not ever." She shoved her chair back, ignoring Scott's annoyed huff. "Allison didn't see beyond her own little world. She didn't ask questions, she just followed orders like a good little soldier. It's going to get her and everyone around her killed."

She was almost out of the kitchen when he spoke again. "There are more hunters in town."

"So?"

"So, they killed an Omega tonight. Cut him in half with a sword."

She turned back, horrified. "Was he a homeless guy?" When Scott nodded, she buried her face into her hands. "Damn it. Who killed him?"

"Someone named Gerard. Mr. Argent knew him, and he says he's Allison's grandfather."

Her head shot up, eyes wide. "Not good." She dashed upstairs, ignoring the questions from the McCalls. She searched until she found her phone and called Allison.

"Scott?"

"No. I need your dad's cell number, now. It's important." She took a pen and tested it on an old test paper.

"Oh." Her voice turned lackluster as she rattled off a string of numbers. Crystal scribbled them down as fast as she could, read them back to Allison, and hung up after she got confirmation they were the right numbers. Immediately, she was dialing again.

"Hello?"

"Chris. It's me. Crystal."

"I know who you are." He sounded tired. "What do you want?"

"Sc—someone told me that you found an Omega today."

"Listen, I can't talk right now. Can we meet in person?"

She frowned. Was Chris around other hunters?

"Yeah. Chester's in an hour?"

"Sounds good." He hung up.

* * *

Crystal looked around Chester's Burger Joint. It wasn't very busy, but it wasn't completely empty, either. She spotted Chris sitting at a booth in the middle of the room. He could see all the entrances, but anybody looking through the window would only see the back of his head. A pouch of fries sat untouched in front of him. She sat down in front of him. "Hey, Chris."

"Crystal. How are you?"

"I should be asking you that." She pointed to the fries. "You gonna eat those?" He shook his head. She reached out to grab a few, but seeing his worn out face made her pause. "Have you eaten at all today?"

His lips barely tilted upward. "What are you, my mother?"

"God, no. I just know what it's like for people to practically force food down your throat. It's so much easier to eat on your own."

He sighed but picked up a fry and took a bite.

"I heard from a reliable source that there's another Argent in town. Goes by Gerard." She picked up a fry and bit into it. It was still warm, so Chris hadn't been waiting long.

His second sigh was heavy. "Yeah. He's my father."

She grimaced. "Ouch." She hadn't met the guy, but judging by Chris's reaction and Scott's little story about Gerard chopping an Omega in half, he wasn't good news. The second half of the fry disappeared into her mouth.

"He killed an Omega tonight. He's declared war on the werewolves." Chris confirmed Scott's story and petrified her in one breath. She nearly choked on the fry before she managed to swallow.

"What?" she squeaked. "But what about your Code?"

"There is no Code. Not anymore. He wants them all dead. It doesn't matter if they've never killed or if they just happen to get in over their head."

She bit her lip. "That Omega. He came to town looking for the Alpha. That means others might follow him. One of them might lead your father straight to the others."

"Gerard," he corrected. "Not my father."

She nodded distractedly and rose. "Fine."

"Crystal." When she looked over her shoulder, Chris was watching her solemnly. "I don't know what he'll do if he finds out you're pack friend. Keep your necklace hidden and be careful."

"You too, Chris."

* * *

**OH! Fun note: When Crystal says "He gave me detention", I was thinking she uses the same tone as when Luci says, "He said shut up to me". Hope that helps you understand the joke. **

**Adios for now, folks!  
**


	15. Full Moon Fever

**Crap, I'm so far behind on my update schedule. Good news: school's almost out. **

* * *

Her phone buzzed twice as she pulled into the school parking lot. Scott left to go find Stiles while she opened the messages. The first was from an unknown number, probably a burn phone.

**Full moon. –C**

The second was from Derek, and she argued with herself for a minute before she opened it.

**Remind Scott there's a full moon tonight.**

She dashed up the steps until she landed next to Stiles and Scott. They turned to look at her in surprise. "There's gonna be a full moon tonight."

Stiles nodded. "I know."

Scott's brow furrowed. "Didn't we _just _have a full moon?"

The other two nodded. "January had a blue moon this year," Stiles explained.

"It feels different this time around."

Stiles shrugged. "Maybe you're adjusting. Come on, we need to get to practice."

The two of them took off. Crystal went to a table and pulled out a textbook so she could catch up on some work. The sun was just rising, which meant the school was practically vacant. She pored over the formulas carefully so she could make sense of them. She couldn't wait until May rolled around. She barely registered the rising sun and the arrival of other students.

"Hey."

She blinked and looked up. Boyd sat across from her with a slight smile on his lips.

"Oh. Hey, Boyd." With a loud thud, she dropped the book closed. "What time is it?"

"Almost time for the bell to ring."

"Great. Let's go." She stood up and stretched. Her eyes trailed over the school parking lot, and she frowned. "What are the police doing here?"

The bell rang. She texted Stiles while maneuvering her way through the crowd. **What's your dad doing here?**

The response came a few minutes later. **Investigating. Isaac Lahey's dad died and they think it was a murder. Isaac's a suspect. **

Her phone buzzed with an incoming call. Derek. She hit reject and opened a second message from Stiles. As soon as she read it, she stopped dead in the center of the hallway. Somebody ran into her from behind, cursing. "Watch it!"

She walked until she was in the bathroom and looked down at the message again.

**Isaac's a werewolf.**

Snarling softly, she deleted the message. Derek was just asking to be found out. Her phone buzzed again. She answered it this time, not even giving him time to say anything.

"You had better have a damn good explanation for this." Her voice was cold enough to freeze an inferno.

Derek growled. "I need your help. Isaac—"

"I heard. Meet me in the parking lot after school." She hung up.

* * *

Stiles and Scott waved her over the moment she entered the classroom. Sighing, she grabbed a chair and sat down next to Stiles.

Scott spoke first. "Isaac's in trouble."

"I know."

"If he's a suspect, my dad can hold him for twenty-four hours," Stiles told them.

"Even if he's a minor?"

Stiles nodded. "As long as they have evidence or a witness, yeah. And the full moon's tonight." She slapped his arm. "Ow!"

"Keep your voice down," she warned.

Scott frowned. "Why Isaac?"

Stiles glanced at her warily before he spoke. "Peter said that the bite would either turn you or kill you. Maybe teenagers have a higher survival rate."

A thought came to Crystal as she looked at the empty seat near Danny. "Did Jackson come to school today?"

They both nodded. She got up and stood next to Danny. "Hey, Danny."

He looked up at her, smiling. "Hi, Crystal. What's up?"

She pointed. "Where's Jackson? I thought I saw his Porsche in the parking lot."

"He's here. He's in the principal's office, talking to Stiles's dad."

Her eyebrows rose. "What? Why?"

"Did you hear about Isaac Lahey?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Jackson lives across the street from him. They're hoping he saw something."

"Huh. Thanks." She patted his shoulder and went back to the boys. "You hear that?"

They nodded and glanced at each other, speaking in unison. "They have a witness."

"One of you has to get up to the principal's office."

Stiles smirked and ripped a piece of paper from his notebook. Crystal scooted away as he handed it to Scott, who lobbed it at the back of Harris's head. Harris stiffened as everyone else laughed.

"Who threw that?" he snapped, turning around. Scott pointed at Stiles. Stiles pointed at Scott. "Miss Braddock?"

Crystal shook her head. "I didn't see anything."

Harris banished all three of them to the principal's office.

She glared dangerously at the floor while they waited. "I hate him."

"He's got it in for us, but what's his deal with you?" Stiles asked.

"It's gotta be his revenge for the other day," Scott chimed in. "You basically made a fool of him in class."

She scoffed. "Good. Now he knows how you guys feel."

Stiles grinned widely. "Aw, you _do_ still care for us!"

She rolled her eyes but had to work to restrain a smile. The door opened. Stiles flailed dramatically, covering his face with a magazine, hoping in vain that his father wouldn't see him. The sheriff shook his head. "Hey, Scott. Crystal." He shot her a curious look.

"Harris," she told him.

"Ah. Well, see you around."

"Bye, Sheriff."

As he walked away, another voice spoke. "Come in, you three."

Scott stiffened. Crystal took in the old man who petrified the werewolf at her side. He was perhaps a little taller than her, with white hair on the sides of his head and a smile on his face but a dangerous glint in his eye. She might have been imagining things; perhaps she had spent enough time around werewolves that she was able to pick up subtler details, or maybe she just instinctively sensed he was dangerous. Between her discussion with Chris and Scott's reaction, she hazarded a guess that this was the infamous Gerard Argent.

She took a seat between the boys.

Gerard pulled three files from a drawer, one thicker than the others. He opened the first one. "Scott McCall. Not the most academically accomplished, but I see you have quite the talent on the lacrosse field." He opened the second one. "Mr. Stilinski. Perfect grades, little to no extracurricular activities. Perhaps you should try out for the lacrosse team?"

Stiles opened his mouth, but Crystal whispered into his ear. "He doesn't care."

Her friend pouted while Gerard opened Crystal's thicker file. "Crystal Braddock. It appears you got held back a year due to emotional trauma." His frown was full of faux sympathy. "I'm sorry to hear that. I trust you're doing better?" His eyes met hers. She fought back a shiver; his eyes were colder than a snake's. She refused to look away first. She had survived his insane daughter's rampage, the loss of her family and the pack, losing Peter twice over, and being tortured. She was not going to be broken by Allison's creepy-ass grandfather.

She won. Gerard turned back to her file. "It seems you've been able to pick up the pieces; excellent grades, chorus member. Wonderful." He closed her file and narrowed his eyes at Scott, finding an easier target. "McCall. McCall, I know that name. You were dating my granddaughter, Allison."

She could practically hear Scott's heart trying to erupt from his chest. She put her hand on his lower arm, seemingly as a comfort. "We were dating, but we're not anymore. No dating, no seeing each other—" He stopped only when Crystal gently but firmly dug her nails into his skin.

"Relax," Gerard chuckled. "You look like you're about to bite a cyanide pill in half."

"Rough breakup," Scott said, pushing Crystal's hand away from him.

"Oh, that's too bad. You seem like a nice kid." Crystal picked up on the insincerity immediately. She wished she could punch him in the teeth. Or better yet, kick him out of town. Gerard leaned forward. "Now, listen. Yes, I'm the principal." Oh, if he gave the _I am your friend_ spiel she was probably going to hit something. "But I don't want you to think of me as the enemy." Yep, there it was.

Luckily, before she could do anything stupidly impulsive, Stiles scoffed softly. "Is that so?"

Gerard obviously didn't see Stiles as a threat, or else he wouldn't have let that comment slide. "I do, however, have to support my teachers. That means someone is going to have to stay behind for detention." As he spoke, his eyes went first to her, then to Stiles.

So much for not seeing her friend as a threat.

* * *

The rest of the day dragged on. Finally the bell rang, and Crystal moved as slowly as she could without looking like a snail to Harris's classroom. Her phone buzzed with a text from Derek.

**Isaac's been arrested. Where are you?**

Once again, the need to hit something raced through her. She nearly left dents in the keyboard as she responded. **I've got detention with Harris. **

The response was almost immediate. **Skip it. **

While that _was _an option, she didn't want Gerard getting more involved than he already was. **Can't. TTYL. **She stuck the phone in her pocket and stepped inside the room.

Harris didn't look up from his desk. "Glad you could join us, Miss Braddock. Is this going to become a habit?"

She met Stiles's eyes and pulled a face. He snickered silently. She smiled.

"Phones."

What was left of her good spirits vanished in an instant.

* * *

She and Stiles bolted from the room the instant they had their phones in their hands. She nearly screamed when Derek's phone went to voicemail. She hung up and shot him a text. **Out of detention; you still at Isaac's?**

Stiles was on the phone with someone. "We literally _just_ got out of detention. Harris took our phones. Me and Crystal." They shoved open the doors. At the top of the steps, Stiles stopped. Crystal backtracked. "What guy?"

She pulled the phone away far enough so that she could hear, too. She grimaced when she heard Allison's voice. "He was dressed as a sheriff's deputy."

It sucked only getting half of the conversation, but she caught the gist. Hunters were going after Isaac. Stiles was on the same page as her. They ran down the stairs.

"What was it?" A second later, he pulled the phone away to glance at something on the screen. His face fell. Crystal glanced over his arm. The picture was of a box with familiar carvings.

"Wolfsbane," she whispered, feeling sick.

"They're gonna kill Isaac."

"We have to split up. I'll go find Derek and Scott. You find a way to stop him, or at least slow him down." She didn't wait for a response.

She sped out of the parking lot, speed dialing Derek and putting the phone on speaker. "Come on, come on."

"What?"

"About time!" she snapped. "I'm headed your way. Allison called. She said a hunter's going after Isaac at the station."

"What?" Scott all but yelped in the background.

She ignored him. "So I hope you can come up with a plan fast, otherwise your new pack member is going to die."

"Why do you care?" Derek's voice was wary.

"Isaac doesn't deserve to die just because you decided to turn him into a werewolf."

"He asked for the bite!"

"Crystal, how far away are you?" Scott asked, breaking up their argument.

She put a little more pressure on the pedal. "Maybe five minutes."

Three minutes and twelve seconds later, Crystal pulled to a stop next to Derek's Camaro. Scott was waiting at the door, shifting on his feet nervously.

"Thanks for coming."

"What did you find?"

He frowned. "It's not good. Isaac's dad...he locked Isaac in a freezer."

Crystal stilled, trying to comprehend the last sentence. "Wh-he _what_?"

Scott led her to the basement, where Derek stood next to a chest freezer. She peered inside. At the bottom there was a thin blanket worn in places. The lid was covered in bloody nail marks. She shook her head and backed up, nearly running into Derek. "How could anybody do something like that? To their own _kid_?"

They heard footsteps upstairs. Scott looked up. "Down here, Stiles!"

A minute later Stiles was standing next to them, a look of horrified revulsion on his face. "That is _sick_," he groaned.

Crystal nodded. "I don't think I'd blame Isaac if he did kill his dad."

"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Derek muttered.

"He's innocent," Scott said firmly, glaring between the two of them.

"Well, yeah. If Isaac _had_ killed his dad, he would have done it here instead of an alley, right?" Stiles looked between them, vibrating with nervous energy.

Crystal rubbed her temples. "All right, how are we breaking Isaac out?"

Stiles gaped. "Wait, what?"

"We can't let him die, Stiles." Scott frowned at his best friend.

"I never said we would, but the moon's gonna rise in less than an hour. Where are we gonna take him? How do we know he won't attack us while we're trying to help him?"

"It's his first full moon. He'll try." Derek's red eyes flashed. "I can stop him."

"I can't come with you," Scott said regretfully. "We don't need two out of control wolves in the same place."

Crystal caught Derek's eye, and she knew both of them were thinking the same thing: since Scott hadn't been freaking out earlier, it was unlikely he would lose control tonight.

"Stiles, do you know where the keys to Isaac's cell are?" she asked, looking away first.

"Yeah, my dad keeps them in his office."

Scott pointed at Stiles and Derek. "You two can go to the station and get Isaac. Crystal—"

"I'll stay here, if you're worried about hurting someone."

Scott looked a little nervous. "Actually, I was gonna ask if you could lock me in the freezer and then go home."

Eyes wide, she pointed to the freezer that still had Isaac's bloody nail marks in the lid. "_That_ freezer?" At Scott's nod, she groaned. "Fine."

Ten minutes later, Stiles and Derek were on their way to the station. Scott climbed in with Crystal right beside him. She unconsciously traced the marks with her fingertips.

"You sure about this?"

His flickering gold eyes looked over at her in shock. It took him a second to respond. "Uh, yeah. It'll keep everyone safe."

She rolled her eyes, trying to quash the worry that rose up inside her. "Forget everyone else. Will _you_ be okay? I may not be a werewolf, but this place just feels wrong. I can't imagine what it's like to you."

Scott shrugged, a slight smile tugging at his lips. "I'll be fine."

"Good. I don't feel like explaining to Melissa why her son suffocated in a freezer at the Lahey house." As soon as Scott lay flat at the bottom of the freezer, she closed the lid and chained it. She pushed away the sick feeling in her stomach.

Inside the freezer, Scott smiled widely. Maybe things could get back to relatively normal after all.

Crystal was almost out the door when the hairs on the back of her neck rose. Someone else was in the room with her. They let out a hissing breath. Her heart pounded loudly in her chest. She was practically blind, she had no weapon, and she had no idea who was in the shadows.

Exhaling slowly, she pulled her phone out and turned on the flashlight app. The light barely illuminated the area in front of her. _From now on, I'm carrying a flashlight and a knife everywhere I go,_ she promised herself.

She followed the other person's breaths with her ears. It sounded like they were going up. It wasn't a person, then. She couldn't see anything. "Damn it," she breathed. Her fingers went to the wall, searching for the light switch. She could only hope that nobody was keeping an eye on the house. Maybe she could blind the thing long enough to get a look before she had to shut the light off again.

She found the switch and flipped it. Blinking away the spots in front of her eyes, she glanced up at the ceiling. Her brain didn't even have time to register the human-reptile creature above her before its tail lashed out.

* * *

Down in the basement, Scott heard Crystal's heart stutter. Something was wrong. Listening closer, he heard a faint hissing noise. He punched the lid, growling when the chains held. He hit it again. He needed to get to her.

After what felt like an eternity, the chains finally snapped and the lid flew open. Leaping out, Scott raced up the stairs. He was nearly blinded by the fluorescent lights in the kitchen. Why would she turn the lights on?

He got his answer when a clawed hand reached down from the ceiling to turn the lights off. His night vision kicked in and he glanced up at the…what the hell _was _it?

It hissed. He growled, showing it his claws and fangs. The thing took off.

"Thank God." Crystal was lying on the floor stiffly, staring at the spot where the thing had been a moment earlier. "Excellent timing, Scott."

Scott knelt over her, faintly smelling blood. "You're bleeding." He frowned. She also smelled frightened.

"It cut me on the back of the neck. You don't have the urge to eat me, do you?"

"Ugh, no."

She laughed weakly. "Good." Her eyes were almost completely gold, with barely any green in them.

"Come on." He held out his clawed hand.

"Slight problem," she squeaked. "I can't move."

He blinked. "What?"

"That thing paralyzed me. I can't move," she repeated.

* * *

Stiles burst into Crystal's room. "Is she okay? What happened?"

Scott quickly filled him in on the strange creature at Isaac's house. "It somehow paralyzed her. It looks like it's worn off, but she's got a fever."

"When did it start?"

"She said she could move her fingers on the way home, but then she got a major headache. I brought her up here to sleep it off. That was half an hour ago. I came up to see if she wanted some food and found her like this. I called you right after."

They both looked at her. She was thrashing around on her bed, sweat covering every inch of exposed skin. Stiles went to feel her forehead, but he stopped when he felt the heat radiating off her. He wasn't even _touching _her.

"She's burning up, Scott! We need to call your mom."

Scott nodded. "See if you can cool her down."

While he went to call Ms. McCall, Stiles found some rags and took them to Crystal's bathroom. Turning the faucet on as cold as it could get, he soaked the first rag and took it to Crystal. She was still tossing, but it wasn't as bad. Stiles put the rag on her forehead, careful not to touch her skin directly. The rag instantly warmed. She flinched but stilled. She was breathing, so Stiles didn't completely freak out. He went to go run some more rags under the faucet. When he got back, Scott was holding a thermometer to Crystal's ear. It beeped, and he read it before picking up his phone. "All right, Mom. It says 102.6."

Stiles blinked, remembering the furnace-like warmth he felt earlier. There was _no way_ that was only 102.6 degrees. The cold water could have brought it down, but that fast? Maybe the creature had some kind of venom along with its paralyzing abilities.

"All right, Mom. See you tomorrow." Scott's voice broke Stiles out of his thoughts. "She said to see if we can get her to drink some water or juice and keep checking her temperature. If it gets to 104 we need to take her to the hospital. She also said that you can sleep here tonight."

Stiles shook Crystal's arm, which was significantly cooler than her forehead had been. "Crystal."

She groaned and blinked. "Hmm?"

"Come on, Crystal. Wake up. You need to drink some water." Scott left to get some water while Stiles helped her sit up.

"Stiles? What are you doing here?"

"Scott called me. You were running a fever, and he thought you might have had a negative reaction to the paralyzing agent."

She frowned. "I feel fine." She let him feel the back of her neck, which was completely dry. The only evidence of her fever was the sweat-covered bed sheets.

* * *

**Really short chapter, I know. **

**See you next time!**


	16. Haunted

**Disclaimer.**

* * *

"Huh." Melissa looked between the thermometer, Crystal, and the two anxious boys standing at the foot of the bed. "She's perfectly fine."

"So I can go to school?" Crystal asked, preparing to spring out of the bed.

Stiles looked at her like she was crazy. "Why would you _want_ to go to school? You were burning up last night!" He looked back at Melissa. "Are you sure something's not wrong with her?"

Melissa chuckled tiredly. "I think there's something wrong with all of you." Crystal laughed while Stiles sputtered and Scott's mouth dropped open, wounded that his mother would think such a thing of her own son. "I need to sleep."

"Night!" Crystal called. As soon as Melissa was gone she bolted for the bathroom. "Get out and shut the door."

Scott and Stiles looked at each other but obeyed. Stiles led the way downstairs to raid the fridge.

"It doesn't make sense," Scott whispered. "Whenever I had a fever I felt awful and I couldn't bounce back that fast."

Stiles shrugged. "Yeah, it's weird. But Crystal's always healed faster than us, and we don't know what that creature was last night. We don't know if that's just what it does."

"I really hope we don't run into it again. We've got enough to worry about now that Gerard's promised to hunt down all the werewolves he meets."

"Something tells me it won't be that easy, Scott."

* * *

Crystal took a seat at the table between the boys and Danny. Stiles tapped her on the shoulder and she turned.

"Hey, so we've got a question. Can a werewolf feel when someone's sick?"

She looked at them questioningly. "What do you mean?"

Scott quickly filled her in on what happened with Erica Reyes. Crystal frowned, thinking.

"Well, you can smell and feel emotions. You might also be able to smell or feel when someone's sick. Talia and Peter once told me I had the flu before I knew it myself."

"Really?" Scott asked.

She nodded. "Peter took me straight upstairs and they made me go to bed. I was fine the next morning."

Jackson stormed into the classroom until he was right next to them. He leaned menacingly over them. Scott and Stiles looked startled. Crystal rolled her eyes.

"Fix it."

"Fix what?" the three of them asked.

"Whatever the hell kind of immunity Lydia has, she gave to me."

"You sure it's not something you gave her?" Stiles asked under his breath. Scott and Crystal grimaced in disgust.

"Gross, Stiles," Scott whined.

"I could have gone my whole life without that mental image," Crystal agreed.

"I'm _immune, _stupid. Because of _her_." He jabbed his finger toward the door. "Fix it."

Crystal's eyes narrowed. "Did you happen to mention this to Lydia?" she asked coolly.

"She ruined everything for me!" Jackson hissed under his breath.

"Did you say that to Lydia's face?" Her voice grew colder. Stiles glared at Jackson, while Scott frowned.

Jackson scoffed and took his seat next to Danny.

"I'll kill him," Stiles muttered.

"Not if I get to him first," Crystal replied. She was about to leave to search for Lydia when Harris walked in.

"Damn it." He wouldn't let her leave for at least ten minutes, and she wouldn't be able to search the entire school.

While Harris's back was turned, she slipped her phone out of her pocket and shot off a quick text message.

**Where are you? Are you okay?**

Instead of doing her classwork, Crystal alternated between checking her phone and mentally listing off all the places Lydia could be hiding: the cafeteria, the library, any of the bathrooms—hell, she could have ditched the rest of school and left. Stiles fidgeted behind her more than usual.

"Could she have gone to class?" Scott asked softly.

"No." Jackson had accused her of ruining his life; there was no way she'd go to class right after that. Lydia wasn't emotionless.

Finally she couldn't take it anymore. She raised her hand. Harris ignored her, so she got up and walked to his desk.

He barely looked up as she approached. "What is it, Miss Braddock? Have you come to suggest another hobby?"

_Cute._ "I came to ask for the bathroom pass."

"We're only twenty minutes into class."

"Twenty minutes is almost halfway through class." When Harris didn't look like he was going to let her go, she shifted her weight from foot to foot a few times and added, "It's an emergency."

He sighed and handed her the pass. "Ten minutes."

* * *

She pushed open the bathroom door and heard someone crying. "Lydia?"

"Go away."

Even though it broke, Lydia's voice flooded her with relief. "Lydia, it's me."

"I know it's you, Crystal. Now go away."

Crystal leaned on the sink, looking at the stall. "No. Tell me what's wrong."

"Jackson's an idiot, that's what's wrong! He said I ruined everything for him!"

"I could have told you he was an idiot." Crystal wanted to call him worse, but Lydia might jump to Jackson's defense and that would alienate Crystal from one of the few friends she had left. She checked her clock. Five minutes before she had to be back in class. "Lydia, come on. I don't have long; Harris only gave me ten minutes."

Lydia opened the stall door. Her makeup was slightly smeared and her eyes were red. Crystal frowned. "Come here."

She held out her arms. Lydia seemed to have an internal debate before she practically threw herself into Crystal's arms.

"Hey, it's okay. It's gonna be okay."

Suddenly, Lydia's head jerked up toward the door. "Excuse me, we're—this is the lady's room!"

Crystal looked between the closed door and Lydia. "There's no one there." Lydia didn't seem to hear her. She rushed out of the bathroom and down the hallway. Crystal followed. "Lydia!"

Lydia went up a floor and down the hall, halting at the top of the stairs. Crystal stopped right next to her, looking for whoever it was that made Lydia react like that, but they were the only two in the hallway. Lydia went down the stairs and stopped right in front of the trophy case. Slowly, Crystal approached her and caught a glimpse at the picture she was looking at. "Lydia?"

Lydia jerked back and jumped when Crystal touched her shoulder. She blinked. "Did you see him?"

"Uh—no, he must have left before I got here."

"What about in the bathroom?"

She shrugged. "I wasn't paying attention," she lied. "The door opened and closed, and you took off. Sorry." She looked at the time on her phone. "Damn, I'm gonna be late."

"You'd better go. Harris can get mean."

Crystal smiled slightly. "You don't have to tell me that." She took two steps toward the stairs and turned back around. "Hey, do you want to come to the ice rink with me, Scott and Stiles tomorrow night?"

Lydia looked more hesitant than Crystal had ever seen her. "Uh…I'll get back to you."

"All right. Just let me know by six tomorrow, and I'll swing by and pick you up." Crystal took the stairs two at a time and raced to get back to the classroom in thirty seconds.

She swung open the door and stepped into the room with less than a second to spare. Her pulse pounded in her ears. She dropped the pass on Harris's desk.

"You're forty-three seconds late, Miss Braddock."

His voice carried through the room. Several students, including Scott and Stiles, looked at her. Most of them were probably hoping she'd snap at Harris again. She took a deep breath to calm her racing pulse. "I had to stop by the nurse's office." She walked to her desk before anybody could say anything else.

Stiles immediately leaned forward; Crystal waved him off with a sharp look. He sat back with an irritated frown. Unfortunately for him, Crystal was barely paying attention.

Lydia had seen somebody that Crystal hadn't. That somebody had taken her directly to Peter's basketball trophy and picture. That raised several questions: Was Peter somehow appearing to Lydia as a ghost? If not, who or what was? What did it want? Why Lydia?

The loudest question echoed through her head in a petulant tone: If it _was _Peter, why was he appearing to Lydia instead of her?

* * *

Crystal sank down next to Boyd. Her brain hurt from rolling the questions through her brain and trying to find a solution. She knew she didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle. She wondered if the reptile thing that attacked her was involved somehow, or if that was part of a completely different puzzle.

"Rough day?"

She didn't even look up at Boyd. "Yeah. And what's worse is, something tells me things are only going to get rougher from here."

Someone slid onto the bench right next to her. She lifted her head. "Oh. Hey, Stiles."

"Hi, Crystal." He leaned toward Boyd. "So I hear you rent out the keys to the ice skating rink."

"And where did you hear that?"

"A little birdie told me."

Crystal laughed at Stiles's attempt to be mysterious. "I told him. We wanted to hit the rink tomorrow night."

Stiles pouted. Boyd raised his eyebrows. "Why didn't you just ask?"

"So you'll let us use them?"

"Sure." Boyd watched Stiles's face light up for a moment before he dropped the bombshell. "For fifty bucks."

Stiles gaped and turned to Crystal. She shrugged. "His keys, his business deal."

"Come on, man! I don't think I can afford fifty bucks."

"No cash, no keys." Boyd picked up his fork and started poking at his lunch.

Stiles tried to bargain with him. "Twenty."

"Fifty."

"Forty."

"Fifty."

"Forty-two?"

Crystal sighed. As amusing as this might be, she was getting bored and slightly annoyed, and if Stiles kept trying to bring the price down Boyd might jack it up just to spite him. "Stiles pays twenty-five, I pay twenty-five." She pulled out her wallet, a notebook, and a pen. She opened her wallet. She had exactly twelve dollars and seven cents in cash. She put her wallet back and flipped open her notebook. She jotted down an agreement and her signature on three separate sheets and tore them out. "We borrow them for one day, and either Stiles or I will return them either the day after we rent the keys or the next time we see you. Agreed?" Both of the boys nodded. "Sign on one of the black lines next to an X."

Boyd and Stiles got out their own pens and signed all three contracts. Crystal gave them each a copy, keeping the third for herself.

"Pleasure doing business with you, boys." She put everything back in her bag and rose. "Watch my stuff. I'm going to get food."

Stiles joined her moments later. "Did you find Lydia?"

"Yeah."

"And?"

"And I invited her to go to the ice skating rink with us tomorrow night. She said maybe."

His face lit up. "That's great!"

Crystal grabbed a box of nachos and spooned some cheese onto her tray. "Yeah. So the guest list just increased to four." She looked up in time to see Stiles wince. "Unless you or Scott invited someone else," she finished warily. From Stiles's awkward smile, she had a feeling Allison would be tagging along to the party. "Great."

"Well, Scott thought that since you and he are sort of on better terms now—"

She held up her hand. She didn't want to be anywhere near Allison Argent if she could avoid it, but Scott was right. Her anger toward him was fading. She knew she couldn't stay mad at him forever, even if she wanted to. He reminded her too much of a puppy dog.

"Look, could you just _try _to get along with Allison, at least for tomorrow night?" Stiles begged.

She sighed. "If Lydia's going, I'll be there."

"And—"

"_Yes,_ I'll behave. For Lydia."

Stiles's relief was palpable. "Great! I'll let Scott know."

He took off. She sighed. What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Stiles sat down next to Allison. "Hey, so I hear you're coming to the ice rink with us tomorrow night."

Allison nodded. "Yeah, but Crystal's going to be there." Her voice had so much venom in it that Stiles winced.

"Well, maybe. Lydia might come too. Crystal invited her this afternoon." At his words, Allison's expression lightened. "You two can just avoid each other."

"I don't think it's that simple, Stiles."

"Sure it is. Just stay on opposite sides of the rink. And Crystal said she'd play nice."

"What if I say no?"

"Then we'd have to deal with Scott moping all night instead of having fun."

Allison frowned. "I'll be there. But keep Crystal on a leash."

Stiles frowned at her. "She's not a dog." He wished both of them would just start getting along again. "One night—can you two behave for one night, for us?"

She sighed but nodded. "One night."

"Thank you." Stiles scrambled up and rushed over to Scott. "You hear?"

"Yeah. So Crystal and Allison are going to be in the same room tomorrow night, with hardly anyone between them?"

"Well, that's only if Lydia agrees to come," Stiles reminded his friend, snatching a nacho and dipping it in cheese.

Scott sighed. "I don't know what's worse, Crystal getting along with Derek and Allison or pushing practically everyone away."

"She's getting better. But if we ever want Crystal and Allison to become friends again, we're gonna have to shove them in a boxing ring so they can work out their differences."

Scott groaned dramatically. "Why can't things just be simple anymore?"

"Because you're a werewolf, with a werewolf hunter girlfriend, who just so happens to be the granddaughter of _another_ hunter who wants to kill you; you have an adopted sister who grew up with werewolves, and who's shutting everyone out because we and another werewolf friend of hers killed her favorite werewolf pack mate after said werewolf went on a killing spree and turned you. Did I miss anything?"

Scott glared weakly at his best friend.

Stiles shrugged. "You asked."

* * *

Twenty-four hours later, Crystal was talking to Boyd when Stiles plopped down next to her and held out his hand. They raised their eyebrows at him; Crystal was slightly amused, Boyd looked vaguely irritated behind his stony facade. Stiles sighed and pulled out his wallet.

"Please tell me you have the other half, Crystal."

She smirked. "Already paid."

Boyd took Stiles's money and handed over the keys. Her phone buzzed. She opened the text message from Lydia.

**I'll be there. What time?**

Crystal was glad that her friend was going to the ice rink and that there would be another buffer between her and Allison. It overpowered her disappointment that she couldn't get out of going, thereby avoiding Allison altogether.

**I'll pick you up at eight-thirty. That cool?**

"Lydia's coming."

Stiles grinned brightly enough to light up New York City during a blackout. Lydia's next message made Crystal groan softly.

**Allison invited me to hang out with her after school today. Could you pick us up there?**

Stiles leaned over her shoulder and read the message. He inhaled sharply through his teeth. "You gonna be okay with that?"

She nodded, fingers already typing.** All right. See you then!**

Boyd looked between the two of them.

"She and Allison had a sort of falling-out," Stiles explained. "I'm gonna let Scott know what's going on."

As soon as Stiles left, Crystal turned back to Boyd. "Thanks for the keys."

He shrugged. "No problem."

The entire cafeteria went silent. That never happened in a room full of teenagers. Immediately, Crystal turned to see what had everyone's jaws dropping.

Her jaw dropped, too. A blonde bombshell walked through the doors in leopard print high heels, a tight leather miniskirt, and a leather jacket over a white shirt. Crystal watched as the mystery girl leaned over a table and snagged a boy's apple, biting into it and giving the kid's friend a seductive look.

Lydia's voice carried in the quiet cafeteria. "What the holy hell is that?"

"That's Erica," Scott replied.

Crystal blinked in shock. Erica turned around and left. Scott and Stiles followed. She turned back to Boyd. "I've gotta go." She grabbed her bag and rushed out of the stunned cafeteria.

"_That's _Erica Reyes?" Crystal asked as soon as she caught up to the boys.

"Yeah," Scott said.

"How the hell did she manage to go from wallflower to bombshell over—"

They burst out of the main doors just in time to see Erica climb into a familiar black Camaro. Crystal didn't even have to finish her question. "_Derek,_" she shouted angrily.

Derek smiled widely at them and sped off.

"Erica's a werewolf now?" Stiles asked softly.

Crystal inhaled deeply and held it, trying to calm down. "He's going to get caught."

"If Gerard or the other hunters don't kill him, she will," Stiles whispered behind her. She glanced sharply at him. Oh. He was talking to Scott.

"I'm glad I'm not Derek," Scott breathed.

* * *

Crystal knocked on the Argents' door. Mrs. Argent opened the door and smiled. "Hi, Crystal."

Crystal returned the smile, trying to keep the wariness off her face. "Hi, Mrs. Argent. Are Lydia and Allison here?"

"Yes, they're upstairs in Allison's room. Would you like to come in?"

"Uh, sure." Crystal stepped inside. When the door closed, it echoed loudly in her ears. "Where's Allison's room?"

"Upstairs, second door on the right."

"Thanks." Crystal felt Mrs. Argent's eyes on her back but resisted the urge to turn around. She turned the corner and saw Chris and Allison in the hallway. They both looked up as she approached.

"Crystal." Chris looked between the two girls warily. "What are you doing here?"

"Picking up Lydia and your daughter."

Chris raised his eyebrows. "Oh?"

Allison and Crystal locked eyes. Neither wanted to look away first. "Lydia wants to go to the movies. She asked us to come with her," Allison lied.

Chris stepped between them, bringing the girls out of their glaring contest. "Be home by midnight." He kissed his daughter on the forehead. "I want my daughter home in one piece," he warned.

Crystal met his eyes. "Don't worry, Chris. This is Lydia's night. I won't spoil it for her."

Chris looked to Allison. She nodded after a moment. "For Lydia."

"Great." Chris smiled at them. "Have fun."

"Bye, Chris."

They watched him until he was out of sight before they faced each other again.

Allison broke the silence. "So, I guess we're calling a truce for tonight."

"For tonight," Crystal agreed, even though agreeing with Allison about anything right now made her sick. "For Lydia and Scott."

Allison opened her bedroom door. Lydia was snapping pictures of herself but she looked up when they walked in. She smiled. "Crystal! It's about time." She rose and gathered her stuff. "Let's go."

* * *

Crystal skated across the ice carefully. She wasn't good enough to try the twirls Lydia was pulling off without falling flat on her ass. The longer she skated, the more comfortable she felt. She laughed to herself when she remembered Scott's nosedive and his run in with the Plexiglas earlier.

Lydia skated past her, spun, and started skating backward. Crystal gaped. "How are you doing that?"

"I've practiced." Lydia shrugged. "What's going on between you and Allison?"

Crystal sighed. Her distraction cost her—she slipped and nearly fell. Her stomach dropped and her arms spun until she regained her balance. She eased over to the wall and stopped. "That obvious, huh?"

Lydia gave her a scornful look, still skating. "Please, you two were perfectly comfortable around each other until just before winter formal. Now you won't even look at each other."

"It's a _really _long story."

"So, simplify it."

_Well, she left me trapped with her crazy aunt for a few days before she got the nerve to tell her dad. Then, she listened to said crazy aunt and shot my friends with arrows—apparently she believed her aunt when she said they would keep Scott and Derek alive. Nope. Then, after Peter killed her aunt, Allison decided it'd be a good idea to help set Peter on fire; it was déjà vu all over again because Peter had been caught in a fire and horribly burned just over six years ago, which was part of the reason he went on a killing spree in the first place. And _then _she and everyone else acted like she hadn't shot Scott and Derek with arrows not even half an hour prior. _

Crystal took a few calming breaths. "She did some stuff, but Scott and everyone else are acting like it never happened."

"What kind of stuff?"

"She hurt some people that I care about."

Lydia frowned. "Scott?"

"And someone I knew a long time ago."

"Well, Scott's very forgiving."

"I'm not."

Lydia smirked. "I guess it all depends on who screwed up."

"She didn't just screw up, Lydia; she doesn't seem to realize what she's done. If she doesn't learn to think things through and stop being so blindly trusting, people are going to keep using her and she won't figure that out until everyone around her is dead."

"We all make mistakes," Lydia said softly.

"And we all have to learn from them." Crystal shook her head. "I'm done with this conversation."

Lydia sighed and started spinning in circles again. Crystal looked off to the side and smiled mischievously. "Stiles is impressed."

Lydia smiled, genuinely happy, and went to pull Stiles onto the ice. Crystal decided to leave them alone and went to find a snack machine.

She had just popped the last Skittle into her mouth when Lydia's scream reverberated through the building. Her entire body chilled. She ran, hoping the hunters or Derek's new pack hadn't followed them.

Crystal pushed past Scott and Allison, and froze. Stiles was holding onto Lydia, who was looking at the ice. Nothing was there.

Nothing that they could see.

Crystal ran out on the ice and dropped down in front of Lydia. "Hey. Lydia. Lydia, look at me." Lydia's panicked eyes met hers. "What do you see?"

"He's here," she sobbed.

Crystal brushed a tear off Lydia's cheek gently. "Come on. Let's get you home."

They rose. Stiles looked to Crystal, confused and worried. "Is she gonna be okay?" he whispered.

Crystal nodded. "I'll take her home and stay with her." She looked over at Scott, who was still standing off to the side with Allison. "I don't know how long I'll be out."

She helped Lydia stand and swung her arm around the girl's shoulders. "Let's go."

* * *

Lydia pushed her bedroom door open and went directly to her vanity to wipe off her makeup. Crystal perched on the edge of the bed.

"Lydia, what happened tonight?"

Lydia hesitated. "I…it's crazy."

"Trust me—I won't think you're crazy, no matter _what _you tell me."

"No. I'm fine."

Crystal rose and spun Lydia to face her. "Lydia. _Tell me._"

Lydia glared for a minute before she sighed in defeat. "I saw the man who attacked me. Peter Hale."

Crystal's emotions were all over the place. She was ecstatic that, _somehow_, Peter wasn't completely gone. She was also angry that he was messing with Lydia's head (possibly a little irritated that he didn't come to _her_) and confused. "How long has this been happening?"

Lydia shrugged. "I think this is only the second time. But…"

"But what?"

"The last thing I can remember from the hospital is this hand reaching up from dirty water and grabbing my ankle."

Crystal frowned. "What about in the bathroom?"

"He came into the bathroom and went back out again. I followed him to the trophy case."

"And tonight?"

"I saw these purple petals on the ice. I followed them, and there was a purple plant coming out of the ice. There was a shadow under it, so I wiped it away. He was there, and he opened his eyes, and he—"

Lydia started crying again. Crystal pulled her into a gentle hug. "Okay. It's okay."

Peter _was _haunting Lydia. He bit her, but she didn't turn into a werewolf. Could that be why Lydia was hallucinating? Was it like the bond an Alpha had with his pack? But Peter was dead—so why was he doing this?

Lydia sniffled. "I'm all right."

Crystal pulled a tissue off the vanity and handed it to her. "It's gonna be okay."

"Why is this happening?"

"I don't know. But I promise I'll find out. Can you promise me something?"

"What?"

"Don't tell anyone about Peter."

Lydia scoffed. "Everyone already thinks I'm crazy. I'm not going to give them more to work with." She glanced at Crystal. "But how do you know him?"

"Old family friend," she said evasively. She wished she could contact Peter herself. An idea came to her. "Lydia, do you know if you can talk to him?"

Green eyes widened. "Why would I want to do that?"

"If you can, tell him that I want to talk to him." Seeing her pale, Crystal led her over to the bed and sat her down. "Hey. He can't hurt you." At least she was pretty sure he couldn't.

"How do you know that?"

"Because he's—" _Dead._ The thought still hurt. "He's in your head. If he's making you see things, I doubt he can cause you physical pain. He might get _you _to hurt yourself, though, so be careful."

Lydia's face was white now. "You _doubt _he can hurt me?"

Crystal forced her voice to lighten. "I'll destroy his library if he does. Besides, if he did hurt you, he'd indirectly hurt me, and he hates it when I'm hurting."

Lydia gaped, speechless.

"I can't promise that you won't see him again. But he won't hurt you. I'll fix this." Crystal headed for the door. "So, ice cream and a movie?"

Lydia snorted. "You just told me I'm hallucinating the same man who attacked me on the lacrosse field, who just happens to be an old friend of yours, and next time I see him I'm supposed to send him your way—oh and, by the way, he won't hurt me again because you're my friend and you threatened his library. And now you think this can be solved with ice cream and a movie?"

Crystal's lips twitched as Lydia pushed past her. "You're right. You're probably going to need something stronger."

* * *

**Sorry for the wait- that last bit between Crystal and Lydia didn't want to flow right.  
**

**Until next time. **


	17. Status: Revoked

**Hey everyone. Just a reminder, this is a slow burn Derek/OC story. I know they're taking forever, but that just makes it more fun later on. **

**This chapter is for Guest. I hope you enjoy the ending.**

* * *

Crystal looked around, frowning when she didn't see Boyd. She didn't like the fact that he was missing, especially since Scott told her Derek needed three Betas.

Someone's hand dropped on her shoulder. She jumped and spun to glare at Stiles. "What the hell?" she breathed.

"Have you seen Boyd at all today?"

"No."

"Crap." Stiles rubbed his hand over his shaved head. "We've got to tell Scott."

"What's Scott going to do? If Boyd wants the bite, there isn't much we can do about it. Besides, we don't even know where he is." Even as she spoke, she pulled out her phone and dialed Boyd's number.

"Well, he can talk to Boyd, maybe change his mind."

Her call went straight to voicemail. She rose. "No, I doubt it. Derek's going for the outcasts. Isaac, Erica, now Boyd—they don't have many friends. They want to be accepted." She shook her head. "I should have seen it."

"It's not your fault." They approached Scott, even as Allison left. Scott was frowning. _Trouble in paradise?_

Stiles grasped Scott's shoulder and pointed to the table they had just vacated. "Scott, look."

"What? It's an empty table."

"Who do I usually sit with at that table?" Crystal prodded.

Scott thought for a second before realization dawned. "Boyd. Derek got to Boyd."

"He's not answering his phone. It went straight to voicemail."

Scott led the way out of the cafeteria. "He's going after the loners."

"Yeah, we kinda figured that out already," Stiles told him.

Scott glanced at Crystal. "Where would Boyd go?"

"If he's not at his house, we could try the ice rink," she suggested, already dialing another number.

"All right. Stiles, you take his house. Crystal and I will go to the rink. If he's not at his place, you call one of us, got it?"

Crystal shook her head. "No, I'm gonna try to talk to Derek first." His phone rang several times before it went to voicemail. She cursed.

"Maybe we should let him." At Scott's incredulous look, Stiles elaborated. "You said Derek's giving them a choice, right? Maybe Boyd wants this."

"We can't. They don't know what they're signing up for," Scott told him.

"He's taking advantage of them. And I'd rather not see my friend with his brain splattered all over the place." Crystal dialed Boyd's number again. Voicemail. "I should have just taken Derek's offer," she muttered. Now Boyd was going to have a target painted on his back because she didn't want Derek to be her Alpha.

"What offer?" Scott and Stiles asked.

"Never mind. Let's go."

Stiles grabbed her arm, slowing her down. Scott slowed with them. "This isn't your fault." His eyes flickered to Scott. "Neither of you. You don't have to put yourselves on the line for them."

Crystal shook her head. "Stiles, Boyd's my friend. I look after my friends. At least, I'm supposed to. I didn't do a good job looking after Boyd. That makes this my responsibility now."

Stiles groaned and waited for Scott's reasoning.

"This is gonna get out of control. I have to stop it before someone gets hurt."

Stiles sighed dramatically. "All right. I'll go to Boyd's place."

Crystal hugged him fiercely. "Be careful." She gave him the address and the three of them separated.

"Can I ride with you?" Scott asked. "I'd run, but—"

"Not with trigger-happy hunters in town, you're not," she objected instantly. "Come on. We'll swing by Derek's lair, and if he's not there we hit the rink."

"His lair?"

"You'll see."

* * *

The place was empty. Not even Isaac, who was supposed to be hiding out from the cops, was there. Crystal ran back to the car.

"You know where Derek's secret hideout is?" Scott asked.

"Yeah. He had to go somewhere during the manhunt." She saw Scott wince. "I'm not angry about that anymore. What you did was stupid, yes, but—"

"I learned my lesson. Keep the cops out of all this supernatural business."

"Eh." Not always; sometimes the cops were actually useful. They _had _scared Peter off. "More like, don't throw someone under the bus even if you think they're dead."

Scott laughed softly.

They got to the ice rink. The lights inside were dimmed, but the door was unlocked.

"Go," she told Scott. "I'll be there in a minute."

He frowned but nodded. As soon as the door shut behind him, Crystal walked around the building. She reached the back of the building and froze at the sight of Derek's black Camaro.

"He's here," she hollered, hoping Scott would hear her.

Adrenaline surged through her, giving her feet wings. She all but flew around to the front of the building and yanked the door open. A werewolf roared. Her heart nearly stopped before she reminded herself that Scott had been a werewolf longer than the other two. She approached the ice cautiously.

"Hold on," she heard Scott say. "This isn't a fair fight."

"Then go home, Scott. And take Crystal with you."

She stopped at the edge of the ice. Derek, Erica and Isaac stood to one side. Scott was near Boyd, who sat at the wheel of an ice resurfacer.

"Boyd," she called. "You okay?"

"He's fine," Derek said lightly. "In fact, soon he'll be better than fine."

They were too late. Derek had already gotten to Boyd.

At a nod from their Alpha, Isaac and Erica sauntered across the ice in Scott's direction. _No. _Before she could move to intercept them, Scott shifted and punched the ice.

"I meant it isn't fair for them."

His roar echoed through the building.

The fight was fast and brutal. Even with it being two against one and Scott trying not to hurt them, he still managed to win. Crystal grinned proudly.

"Don't you get it?" Scott growled. "He's just using you—he's not trying to help _you_, he's helping _himself._ He's adding to his own power. He didn't give you a gift; he's turned you into a couple of guard dogs!" Snarling, he sent them sliding across the ice. They came to a halt at Derek's feet.

"It's true," Derek acknowledged. "It is about power."

The grin fell off Crystal's face. Now _Derek _was going to fight Scott? One Beta against an Alpha with a pack? Her blood ran cold. Derek could kill him.

"Derek!" Her voice went up a few octaves. Derek ignored her, claws sliding out as he stalked toward Scott. "Derek, don't!"

She stepped out onto the ice. Derek head butted Scott and slashed him across the stomach. Crystal delicately moved forward, trying to keep her feet from sliding out from under her as she looked for an opening. Scott elbowed Derek in the face, forcing the Alpha backward.

There it was. Crystal slid between the two werewolves, facing Derek's glowing red eyes. He glared at her. "Move."

This was the second time she stopped a werewolf from attacking his prey. It wasn't any less terrifying this time around. She ignored the chills his expression gave her and shook her head, returning the glare. "Scott, you okay?"

"I think so."

Derek growled. She sneered at him. "_Please_. You think that scares me? You seem to be forgetting that I know you, Derek Hale." No matter how angry he got with her, he would never physically hurt her—at least not on purpose.

He flashed his fangs at her. "Why do you care, anyway? Last I checked you were trying to avoid him."

"Doesn't matter. You're not hurting my brother any more than you already have."

Scott's breath hitched. Derek raised his eyebrows. "Your _brother_?"

He sounded disbelieving. Crystal didn't blame him; after all, she had been the one who said Scott wasn't her family. "Yes."

The red faded from his eyes. Derek shook his head and smiled. It wasn't a nice smile. "Fine. If he's your family, you're part of _his_ pack. Which means you're no longer a Hale pack friend."

Crystal's eyes widened in realization, even as he grabbed her pendant and pulled it sharply. The chain broke. "_No!_"

The necklace, one of her last links to her past life, disappeared into Derek's jacket pocket. She lunged for it. "Give it back!" she screeched. He sidestepped. She fell to the ice hard, but in her panic she barely noticed.

Scott growled, helping her up. "Give it back, Derek."

"It's not hers anymore." Those words struck deep, draining all the fight out of her. Derek turned his back on them, leading his little pack out of the ice rink. Erica and Isaac barely glanced her way. Boyd hopped down.

"Don't," Scott said. "You don't want to be like them."

Crystal shook her head. "It's too late, Scott," she breathed.

Boyd nodded. "I want to be like you." He lifted up his shirt, showing off his new Alpha bite. He frowned sympathetically at her before following the others. Her heart, which had just started to mend after Peter's death, shattered again.

Scott stepped forward. Crystal's fingers tightened on his wrist. "No, Scott. Leave it." Her voice was weak.

"It's not okay, Crystal. That's _your_ necklace."

"Not anymore." Derek had just revoked her pack friend status.

* * *

_Crystal twisted her brand new necklace around her fingers and frowned. A car pulled up and Laura and Derek climbed out. She waved at them. The siblings looked at each other, holding a silent conversation with their eyes. Derek sighed but followed his sister to the porch steps. Each of them sat down on either side of Crystal. _

"_What's wrong?" Laura asked. _

"_It's nothing. It's stupid." _

_Derek groaned. "Maybe, but Laura's going to keep me out here until you tell us what's up, so you might as well talk."_

_Crystal giggled as Laura reached over and smacked Derek's head. Both of the Hales smiled. _

"_It's just…has anyone ever been a pack friend, and then something happens and they're not a pack friend anymore?"_

_Laura frowned. Derek was confused. _

"_What brought this on?" he asked. _

_Crystal shrugged, embarrassed. "I had a nightmare last night."_

"_Listen." Laura wrapped an arm around the younger girl's shoulders. "No matter what, we are not going to abandon you."_

"_We can't. If Mom didn't kill us, I'm pretty sure Peter and Cora would. They adore you," Derek added. _

"_Derek," Laura growled. _

"_But is it possible?" Crystal asked. _

_Laura sighed. "It's possible, but you'd have to do something horrible, like rat out the entire supernatural race to the humans."_

_Crystal's eyes widened. "There are more things out there than just werewolves?"_

_Derek grinned mischievously. "Oh, yeah. Lots of stuff. There's this creature called a Minotaur, and it eats little boys and girls if they set foot on its island."_

_Crystal's heart pounded, apprehension seeping from her skin. _

_Laura glared at him. "But a hero named Theseus killed it a few thousand years ago." _

_Crystal turned to Derek, who started laughing. "That's that Greek story Peter told me about!" She slapped him on the arm several times. He rose and flung her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. She squealed. Laura followed them inside and disappeared upstairs._

_Derek set her down gently in the foyer, all amusement wiped from his expression as he looked her in the eyes. "It's never gonna happen. You will always be pack friend."_

"_Even if I choose another pack over you guys?"_

"_Well, you'd have conflicting interests, but I'm pretty sure you can be friends with more than one pack."_

_Crystal wrapped him in a tight hug. He hesitated for a minute—she had never hugged him like this before—but eventually returned the hug. _

"_I love you guys." _

_He smiled. "But you love Cora and Peter most."_

_She looked up at him and grinned widely. "Well, duh. Cora lets me win at hide and seek."_

"_Only because she gets bored, and your mom goes on about fairness sometimes."_

_She stuck her tongue out at him. "Meanie."_

"_All right, so what about Peter?"_

"_He makes a great teddy—" Her eyes got huge and she shut her mouth quickly, but Peter had already heard her. He snarled from upstairs. "Sorry," she called meekly._

_Derek grinned. He knew what he was getting Peter for Christmas now._

* * *

Derek took the necklace out of his pocket and ran his thumb over the engraving. He knew how much taking it away would hurt her. What he didn't realize was how badly it hurt _him._ His heart ached.

Never before had the Hales abandoned a pack friend. As far as he was aware, only one pack in history had ever done so. That pack friend had gone insane and had slaughtered their werewolf lover and several humans, including a couple of children.

Isaac looked at the necklace in his hand. "So, you two had a thing?"

He shoved the pendant into his pocket. "Get in the car."

A door opened and closed in the distance.

"Do you want to drive?" he heard Scott ask softly.

"No." Crystal's voice was hoarse and dull. "You can. See if you can reach Stiles, too."

He had crushed her. His claws erupted at the pain he felt, slicing into his skin. The combination of physical and emotional pain was a mere echo of the agony he'd caused her. Even after Peter died, he didn't remember her breaking like this. It was like she'd given up.

_I'm sorry,_ he thought, tightening his bloody hand around her necklace.

Inside his pocket, several drops of blood slithered into the mouthpiece of the wolf whistle. The metal warmed as it absorbed the blood.

* * *

He growled soundlessly as the thread in front of him turned from a delicate strand with colors of molten gold, green, and midnight blue into a chain of fiery reds and oranges, broken only by segments of ice blue and forest green and streaks of black and blood red. The scent of the woods at night after it rained morphed into the smell of the sun-lit rainforest.

Derek had the necklace now.

He turned to the other thread. No matter. This didn't change anything.

* * *

"Are you gonna be okay?"

Crystal looked up at Scott, smiling unconvincingly. "Yeah. Eventually."

"Come on." He opened the door for her. "You can sit in the office until you can drive again."

She didn't argue, instead choosing to follow Scott inside. "Did you reach Stiles?"

"No." Scott frowned. "I hope he's okay."

"I'm sure he'll be all right."

He sat her down in a chair in the reception area and went into the back. She sighed and leaned forward, her head in her hands.

_So your necklace is gone. Big deal. You can get it back, _a voice that sounded like Laura's told her.

How? Derek had it now, and he wouldn't give it back just like that.

_Maybe you two should stop fighting and actually talk to each other. _

Yeah, right. Derek and talking didn't sit properly in the same sentence, unless there was a _not_ in the middle. Did he even know how to talk these days?

_He talks to you, doesn't he?_

The main door opened. She blinked at the arrival of two Argents and a third hunter.

"Crystal."

She tilted her head slightly, looking up at Chris. She had to remind herself not to call him that in front of other hunters. "Hello, Mr. Argent. What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing."

She glanced around the room nonchalantly and shrugged. Her eyes landed on a pamphlet with a cat on the front. "I wanted to play with the cats."

Gerard laughed. "I thought you would be more of a dog person."

Her crushed spirit flickered. Before she could speak, her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Crystal, I need you to come pick me up."

Internally she sighed in relief. Stiles was all right. "Where are you?"

"Outside Boyd's house, waiting for a tow truck."

She frowned. "Why?"

"Because Erica's a bitch, that's why."

"I'll be there soon, okay?" Without waiting for a response, she hung up and smiled at the hunters. "Catch you later." She left before any of them said anything, not hesitating as she got into her car and drove away. She could feel Gerard watching her. "Sorry, Scott," she breathed.

He would be okay. He had Deaton and Chris, and he was smart when he had to be. But just in case, Crystal was going to call Deaton as soon as she picked up Stiles.

* * *

Two hours later, she sighed. "Stiles, let's just go."

She'd gotten to Boyd's house right as the tow truck did and followed it to the Armor Tire. The mechanic had said it shouldn't take more than an hour. Unfortunately, the mechanic turned out to be a conniving jackass who decided to up the price every time Stiles checked on his car. He had originally said the Jeep needed a new one hundred dollar starter, but now the guy was saying the whole exhaust system needed to be replaced for twelve hundred.

"Yeah, it's gonna cost more like fifteen hundred."

Crystal's and Stiles's mouths dropped wide. Why, that son of a bitch!

"Fine," Stiles snapped. "Just get it done."

They both stormed to the door leading into the office. Stiles grabbed the handle and pulled his hand back immediately.

"Oh, that's disgusting." He held his hand up, showing Crystal the clear slime on it.

She gagged. "That's _real _sanitary."

Stiles turned the handle, since his hand was already covered anyway. "Quality establishment you've got here," he hollered over his shoulder. They stepped inside.

"You should report that guy."

"What the hell?" Stiles was holding his shaking hand out in front of him, the same one still coated in goo. He looked up at her, panicked. "I can't feel my hand."

A shiver raced down her spine. She turned, searching the garage. Familiar claws curled around one of the lifts. "Hey! Hey!"

"Crystal."

Her attention drawn back to Stiles, she was able to catch him as he sagged. She lowered him to the ground and gripped the hand that wasn't covered in paralytic slime. "It's gonna be okay, Stiles."

The lift in the other room activated. They both looked toward the mechanic. He was paralyzed and on the ground, lying right underneath the descending lift.

"Help me," he called.

"Damn it." Crystal got up and raced toward the switch.

"Look out!"

Stiles's warning was unnecessary. The reptile creature dropped down in front of her, blocking her path. Cold yellow eyes glared at her in a familiar manner. She backed up slowly, relieved when it didn't follow her. A glance toward the lift showed that it was too close to the mechanic. She wouldn't be able to reach the switch in time.

She hurried back to Stiles. Kneeling in front of him to block his view, she covered his ears right before the mechanic screamed. He went silent as bone crunched and shattered behind her. Her stomach heaved. She made sure the garage was completely quiet before she uncovered Stiles's ears.

His fear stricken eyes met hers. "Is he dead?"

She nodded sadly. "We need to call your dad."

Something screeched behind her. Twisting, she stared into the semi-familiar reptilian eyes once more. It tilted its head, examining both her and Stiles before it disappeared. One moment it was there, the next it was out the door.

"What is that thing?"

"That's the thing that paralyzed me." They needed to figure out what it was, and how to stop it. Fast.

* * *

Stiles and his father sat in the back of an ambulance. Crystal was being interviewed by Greg.

"I told you, we came outside to get some air. The mechanic was taking longer than I thought he would. Crystal wanted to drive me home and we'd just pick it up tomorrow, but I kept telling her to wait. We went back in and found him like that."

His dad raised his eyebrows. "What's wrong with your hand?"

Stiles looked down at it. The venom had worn off, and now it was probably shaking from the adrenaline, fear, or both. Being paralyzed was _not _fun. And he hadn't even gotten a full dose. "Nothing. Can we go now?"

"Sheriff, he's fine."

Crystal's voice made him jump higher than he normally would have. His hands clenched into fists and he glared at her. "Don't do that!"

She glanced down, chastised. "Sorry." She turned to his dad. "He's just shaken up, Sheriff."

His dad frowned at the both of them. "Look, if you saw someone do this and you're afraid they're going to make sure you don't say anything—"

"I didn't see anything," Stiles said firmly. "Can we go now?"

His dad sighed heavily. "Sure, kiddo. But your Jeep has to stay here. Evidence," he added when his son's mouth dropped in outrage. "See you at home."

"At least make sure they wash it," Stiles groaned.

Crystal swung her arm around his shoulder. "Come on, Stiles."

They got into her car. She handed him her phone. "Can you call Scott? I need to make sure he's all right."

"Why? What happened?" When she just raised her eyebrows at him, he moaned dramatically. "Fine. But you _will _tell me later."

"Of course."

The phone rang once before Scott picked up. "Crystal?"

"No, it's Stiles. Crystal's driving. She wanted to check up on you."

"I'm fine. Can you meet at my place? I need to tell you something."

Stiles looked at Crystal. "Scott says we need to go to your place. He has something he needs to tell us."

"Does it have anything to do with why the Argents showed up at the vet's earlier tonight?" she asked.

Stiles's eyes widened. "They what?"

"Yeah, it does," Scott said.

"He says yes."

It didn't take long to reach the McCall house. Scott was waiting for them outside. Crystal raced up the steps and threw her arms around Scott's neck. Stiles blinked. When did those two make up?

"I see you two are friends again."

Crystal smiled at the boys softly.

"Come on," Scott said. "Mom's asleep, so we've got to be quiet."

They crept up to Scott's room. There, Scott told them about the body at Deaton's and everything he remembered from the hunters' conversation with the vet.

Crystal sighed. "So the same thing that killed Isaac's dad also killed a hunter and the mechanic."

Scott's head shot up. "You saw it again?"

They nodded and recounted everything that happened at the Armor Tire, with Stiles elaborating on all the violations he noticed and Crystal complaining about the mechanic's con artist ways.

"So was it a shifter, or was it something else?" Scott asked.

Stiles shook his head. "It's not like you. It was very reptilian."

"Its eyes were cold, like a snake's. Or Gerard's," Crystal added.

Something had been bugging Stiles ever since the shifter looked at him. "There was something about them." He searched for the right comparison. "You know how on Halloween, you run into a friend in a mask and all you can see are their eyes?"

"And you feel like you know them, but you can't place them." Crystal nodded. "I felt it too. I just thought it was because it paralyzed me at Isaac's house."

Scott looked between them. "Are you saying you know who this creature is?"

Crystal shrugged. "I don't know. But it knew us."

_Well, that's a comforting thought._

* * *

"Hey, Stiles, what were you doing at the Armor Tire, anyway?" Scott asked.

Stiles sighed. "Erica wrecked my car." He pointed to his temple. "She ripped out the starter and hit me over the head with it, and then she threw me in a dumpster."

Crystal blinked, replaying his words. "Did you say Erica hit you over the head with a car part?"

He nodded. Rage coursed through her veins. She started for the door, fists clenched. Scott intercepted her.

"Where are you going?"

"To skin a wolf."

"You can't."

"She could have killed Stiles, Scott!"

"I know, but she didn't. At most he'll have a bruise for a week." He looked over at Stiles for help.

"Come on, Crystal. Killing Erica won't help anything. I'm more upset that she messed with my Jeep, actually."

Stiles's words shocked a laugh out of her. She sighed. "Fine. I won't kill her." Scott pointed to the bed. She groaned and flopped down on it. "Happy now?"

He nodded. Stiles frowned. "Where's your necklace?"

Crystal looked down at the empty space around her neck. With all the excitement, the fact that Derek took her necklace had been pushed to the back of her mind. "Derek took it." Tears leaked from her eyes. "He also revoked my pack friend status."

Stiles's eyes widened. "Can he do that? I thought that pack friend was forever."

"Apparently not," Scott growled.

"Why did he take it?"

"I sided with Scott over him."

Stiles scoffed. "Please, you've been doing that since P—the night of the formal."

The corners of her lips twitched upwards. It was kind of sweet that he didn't want to say something that might upset her more, but she also didn't want him walking on eggshells around her. "You can say it, Stiles. Since the night Peter was killed." She turned to Scott. "How's your stomach?"

He raised his shirt, revealing the bandaged wound. "It'll heal."

"Why hasn't it already?" Stiles asked.

"Alpha wounds take longer to heal," Scott and Crystal said at the same time. Scott looked at her curiously.

She shrugged. "I helped Derek after Peter attacked him, remember? He told me."

"Why don't you just go to Derek and ask for your necklace back?" Stiles suggested.

"Oh, yeah, that's gonna go over well. We'll probably wind up killing each other," she scoffed.

"You two are probably the most stubborn people I've ever met," he grumbled, sharing a look with Scott. Her brother coughed suspiciously. Crystal narrowed her eyes at him.

"What?"

"What what?" he asked innocently.

"That cough."

"I got something in my throat, that's all."

She glanced between the two boys, who looked more innocent than a pair of angels. What were they—"Oh, come on. You can't still think that Derek and I—where did you even come up with that idea, anyway?"

"What are you talking about?"

She wasn't buying their act. "Whatever. Come on, Stiles. Let's get you home."

* * *

Crystal rested her head on the steering wheel. Why was she doing this again?

Oh, yeah. Stiles. He'd pointed out that talking to Derek was the only way of even possibly getting her necklace and her pack friend status back.

Her car door opened. "Are you just gonna to sit here all night, or are you gonna come inside?"

"I see he's made you the manservant." She smiled at Boyd to hide her apprehension.

"At least I'm not wearing a tux."

"Oh, I don't know. You'd probably look really good in a tux." Taking a deep breath to get her hammering heart under control, she stepped out of the car and locked it. "Where is he?"

Boyd nodded to the open door. "First door on the left."

"Thanks." She tossed a second pair of keys to him. "Before I forget, here are your keys. Oh! Is Erica here?"

He shook his head.

"Good." If she ran into the other Beta, she'd probably wind up trying to hurt her. Better to just avoid her as much as possible.

They walked inside together. Boyd went down a staircase while Crystal continued to the room Derek was in. The door was open. Derek was doing pushups in the middle of the mostly bare space. The only thing she could see was a comfy looking chair in the corner.

"What do you want?" His cold tone made Crystal flinch. He stood up and looked at her, arms crossed over his tank top covered chest. "If it's about your necklace, the answer's no."

Her shoulders sagged. "I figured as much." At his raised eyebrows, she groaned. "Stiles and Scott thought it would be a good idea if we…talked."

Derek huffed, practically rolling his eyes. She smiled faintly.

"What are we supposed to be talking about?"

"Something about how we've been friends a long time, forgive and forget—you know, the usual happy ending stuff." She shook her head. She absolutely sucked at this.

"Well, go ahead. Talk."

"Yeah, talking kind of requires both parties to actually say something." She sat down in the chair. Surprisingly, it was brand new. "Nice chair."

They fell into an awkward silence after that. They stared at each other, neither speaking a word. Crystal started fidgeting. Derek was the perfect imitation of a marble statue. Finally, she rose.

"This isn't working. I'm out of here."

She hadn't even taken one step before Derek spoke. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you choose Scott over me?"

"I was trying to stop you from attacking him!"

"I wouldn't have killed him."

"That's not the point," she huffed. "You were hurting him. Obviously, I was going to stop you. If Chris walked in here right now with a gun and pointed it at your head, I'd get in the middle of that, too."

He tensed. "Does Argent know where we are?"

"No! That was just an example. My point is I don't want people I care about getting hurt."

"If you really cared, you would have stuck by me," he growled. "You stuck by Peter."

She narrowed her eyes, stepping closer until she was almost nose to nose with him. "Are we really going through this again? _Peter _was stuck in a coma for six years. He didn't leave me behind."

Red flashed in his eyes. "We came to see you!"

Crystal blinked, surprise overriding some of her anger. "What?"

"Laura and I visited you that night after they sedated you. We thought it would be safer for you if we left. That way the hunters would leave you alone."

"Oh." She looked down, chastised. She should have known they wouldn't leave without saying goodbye. They probably thought it would be easier since she was asleep. Moments later she looked back up, raising her eyebrows scornfully. "Well, you could have called or sent a postcard."

He frowned. "Who uses postcards anymore?"

She laughed for a moment. "Not the point."

They fell quiet, but this time the silence wasn't uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry we didn't say goodbye properly," Derek finally whispered.

"Wow. Derek Hale actually apologized," she teased. She grew serious again. "I'm sorry, too. For shutting you out since Peter died."

"You mean since I killed him?"

"Yeah, I really wish you hadn't done that. Not just because I loved him, or because he was your uncle," she added hastily when she saw him scowl deeply. "Since you became Alpha…the power's going to your head, Derek. You're not the Derek I remember."

"That Derek died a long time ago."

"You changed. We all did. But now, it's like you're more worried about power than anything else." She smiled slightly. "I'm still a little mad at you for killing Peter, though."

Instead of protesting like she expected him to, he smirked. "What made you go from 'I hate you forever' to 'I'm only a little angry'?"

"The voices in my head," she said lightly. Also the fact that Peter's ghost was still around, but she couldn't tell Derek that, could she?

"I always knew you were insane."

"I have to be; I hang around werewolves all the time." She yawned. "What time is it?"

Derek pulled out his phone. "Just after four."

She groaned. "And I have school in a few hours." She yawned again. "Can I sleep here?"

"I could drive you home," he offered.

She winced. "It's not that I don't trust you…."

"It's that you don't want to leave your car here, and you don't want me driving it," he finished.

"Well, do you know how many people have been driving my car lately, both with and without my permission?" Her question came out more like a whine. "Too many!"

He shook his head. "Fine. Come on."

He led her to another room and held the door open for her. Inside there was a mattress with a pillow and blanket on top. A pile of clothes lay in the corner. That was it. No personal effects, no special touches. She frowned.

"This is your room." It wasn't a question, but Derek nodded. "Where are you gonna sleep?"

"I don't need to sleep."

She scoffed. "Don't be silly, Derek. Everyone needs sleep."

"I'll sleep in the subway car."

Crystal opened her mouth to protest, but decided not to argue. She was the one imposing, after all. He could have made her sleep in the subway car. "Fine. But promise you'll actually get some sleep."

"Yes, mom."

She grinned and flopped down on the mattress. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she started drifting off. She was conscious just long enough to mutter, "Night, Derek."

* * *

**RECONCILIATION- Crystal and Scott: Check. Crystal and Derek: Getting there. Crystal and Allison: Pending.  
**


	18. Blood in the Water

**POOL TIME! You have no idea how much I've been looking forward to this chapter.  
**

* * *

For the third time that morning, Isaac jumped over the barrels. Derek had to work to keep from rolling his eyes. Next, Isaac would leap onto the makeshift wall and then down, going for Derek's throat. After that, Erica would attack from behind.

Footsteps on the stairs broke Isaac's attention. He hesitated in mid-jump and crashed into the wall. Before he could regain his footing, Derek grabbed the back of his shirt and tossed him into Erica. The two Betas turned their attention to Crystal, who stood on the stairs behind Boyd. Derek exhaled slowly, trying to get his temper under control. They should never take their eyes off their opponent, especially if they were the ones on the ground.

Crystal took a bite of an apple. "Don't mind me," she told them.

"What's she doing here?" Erica asked, narrowing her eyes at Crystal. Crystal smiled at Erica, reminding Derek of a hungry lion—or Peter, whenever someone crossed him.

Before things could get ugly, he snapped, "Again!"

The next time was just as repetitive as the last. Jump, side, down, attack from behind.

His irritation was obvious now. Crystal sighed. "They've been doing the exact same thing all morning, haven't they?" Boyd nodded. She shook her head. "You'd think they'd learn to change things up a bit."

"Again!"

This time, Isaac took Crystal's advice to the letter. He didn't rest on the wall as long as he usually did before he leaped off the wall feet first. Erica still hesitated before she attacked. Derek tossed them to the ground more forcefully than before. Crystal groaned. "That's not what I meant."

"Do you want to try _not _being completely predictable?" Derek snapped.

Erica jumped toward him, wrapping her legs around his waist and planting her lips on his. Instinctively he caught her and returned the kiss. It was nothing special. He shoved her off just as Crystal's amused wolf-whistle ended.

"That's the last time you do that," he warned his Beta.

"Because I'm a Beta? Or because of her?" Erica glared petulantly in Crystal's direction. Crystal met her gaze, grinning widely.

"Neither. I've got someone else for you in mind."

"Nice try. Scott's only got eyes for Allison." Crystal's voice dripped with scorn at the youngest Argent's name. She bit into her apple more forcefully.

"Are we done yet?" Isaac asked.

"No," Derek bit out.

Isaac groaned. Erica rolled her eyes. Something sailed through the air toward them. Erica turned just in time to grab the apple an inch from her face.

"Pathetic." Crystal came down the stairs, arms crossed. "If that were a flash arrow, you'd be blinded right now."

Erica flashed her fangs. "But it wasn't. You're not a hunter."

Crystal laughed humorlessly. "Oh, so because I'm not a hunter or a werewolf, that means I can't hurt you?" She moved nonchalantly toward Erica, pulling her phone out of her pocket.

"Crystal," Derek warned.

"I'm not calling Chris." She grinned devilishly. "I've got something better in mind."

A high pitched buzz erupted from her phone, causing Derek and Boyd to wince and cover their ears. Erica and Isaac were too close; they both screamed at the sound. While Erica was distracted, Crystal moved behind her, wrapped a fist in the downed werewolf's hair, and dragged a finger across her now bared neck. The sound cut off. Erica's eyes yellowed. Derek snarled as she swiped at Crystal with her claws, even as Crystal released her, swaying to avoid the blow.

"You're done." His cold gaze fell on both blondes.

"I've made my point." Crystal never took her eyes off Erica and kept Isaac in between them as she made her way to his side. At least one of them knew better. Erica growled but didn't move, although she looked ready to rip Crystal's throat out.

He glanced at Crystal. Even with almost no fighting experience, the anger wafting off her made him really glad she was only human and that she didn't have a knife or a gun.

"If you don't learn to adapt, you're dead. Eventually the hunters will come after you," she spat. "And when that happens, I might not be around to help."

"Why haven't they come after us already?" Isaac asked, wary but pleased at the change of subject. He looked between the two adults.

"I don't know," Derek admitted.

"I might." Crystal's words surprised him. "The thing that killed Isaac's dad, it also killed hunter and a mechanic."

His eyes narrowed. That would explain why the hunters weren't coming after his pack, but he hadn't heard anything about a mechanic. He had caught its scent and followed it to the Armor Tire, where the police were working on a crime scene. He had also caught a faint whiff of Crystal's and Stiles's scents, but they had been at least two hours old.

"You were there. You and Stiles."

She nodded tensely. "It's fast, it can paralyze people, and it's smart—_really _smart. It killed the hunter with its claws, but it dropped a Jeep on top of the mechanic." She squeezed her eyes tightly. "I shouldn't even be that upset. He was an asshole trying to con Stiles."

"Nobody should have to die like that," Isaac said softly.

"Why were you even there in the first place?" Boyd wondered.

Crystal glared at Erica. "Someone ripped out the starter and hit Stiles over the head with it."

"Ouch," Isaac winced.

"He's fine," Erica said defensively.

Crystal laughed lightly. "Yeah, you're lucky you didn't fracture his skull, or else I would have hand-delivered you to Chris Argent as a Christmas present."

Isaac blanched. "You're friends with a hunter?"

"Sort of."

Erica's smirk didn't do a very good job of hiding her apprehension. "It's too early for Christmas."

"Fine. Birthday present, then."

No wonder she was furious. He was angry too. If Stiles had died, the sheriff would have turned this town upside down looking for his son's killer. They couldn't afford that. Derek gripped Crystal's shoulder in warning. "But he's okay?"

"If he wasn't, Erica would be hanging on the Argents' wall right now." She shrugged at the Betas' expressions. "I don't like it when people mess with my friends."

Isaac laughed suddenly. "She threatened Harris because he was picking on Stiles."

She did what?

"You threatened Harris?" Boyd, Erica and Derek asked at the same time. Boyd sounded impressed, Erica was amazed, and Derek wondered where the sweet little girl he used to know had gone.

"I also suggested he take up needlepoint." She shrugged. Her phone rang. "Hello?"

It was Stiles. "Where are you?"

"At Derek's secret lair. Why?"

He huffed. It wasn't a lair. It was an abandoned subway station that he just happened to be living in.

"Wait, you spent the night?" Stiles sounded shocked and a little worried.

"I wasn't going to let him drive my car at four in the morning, and I wasn't leaving my car here." She sounded appalled at the very idea.

"He offered to let you drive his car," Stiles reminded her.

"That was a necessity." The silence on the other end irritated her, so she asked, "Why are you calling?"

"Oh, I don't know. I mean, it's not like we have school in half an hour and I'm out one Jeep, thanks to Erica."

Crystal shrieked, causing Derek to wince again. "What?"

"You said you were going to pick me up this morning, remember?"

"I'll be there soon." She hung up, already halfway up the stairs. "Come on, Boyd!"

"He has training," Derek protested halfheartedly, already knowing he wasn't going to win this argument.

Crystal spun on her heel at the top of the stairs. "He has school, and don't think for a second that werewolf business trumps that, Derek Hale." She snorted. "Look at Scott. He puts werewolf business over school and winds up failing, what, half his classes?"

Boyd looked between her and Derek. Derek nodded with a roll of his eyes. Isaac snickered but fell silent when Derek glared at him.

"What about Erica?" Boyd asked.

Crystal shrugged, uncaring. "Derek can take her."

"I might as well just take both of them, then."

She grinned. "Yeah, but can you picture their faces when Scott and Stiles see Boyd in my car?"

Boyd looked up at her. "Can I drive?"

Derek hid a laugh at the stricken expression on her face.

* * *

"I'm really sorry about the other day. I'm trying. We'll get through this."

Crystal watched the scene in front of her with morbid fascination. Neither of the two boys seemed to notice her yet.

Stiles grimaced. "I know because I love you. I love you more than—oh, my God. I can't. I can't do it. You and Allison will just have to find a better way to communicate. "

Crystal burst into laughter. "Oh, thank God. For a second I thought you were really gay."

Stiles looked completely offended. "I could be."

"No, no you couldn't. I'm pretty sure you'd know by now if you were."

"Don't you have class?" Scott asked.

"Teacher's out, so I've got a free period. Why are you making Stiles recite you love letters?"

"Because Stiles is the only one we can trust; I'd ask you, but you don't like Allison at the moment. Is she coming to the game tonight?"

"Yes! Message delivered. Now that I'm scarred for life, tell me about what your boss said."

"What did Deaton say?" Crystal sat down on the step behind them, leaning forward.

"I forgot to mention it last night. He said there are these records that the Argents would keep, where they collect notes of everything they hunted. Like a book or something."

"It's probably a bestiary," Stiles said.

"What?" Scott laughed.

"A bestiary," Stiles repeated.

"I think you mean bestiality."

Crystal and Stiles looked at each other, disgusted. "Pretty sure he doesn't, Scott."

"A bestiary is like an encyclopedia of mythical creatures," Stiles informed them.

Scott threw his hands up. "It's like I'm the only one who doesn't know this stuff."

Crystal shook her head. "I didn't know what it was. I probably should, but I don't. Besides, Stiles is the researcher, not me."

"If we can find it, it could tell us what this thing is," Stiles mused.

"And possibly who," Crystal added.

The three of them looked at each other. "We need that book," the boys said.

"I could just ask Chris," Crystal suggested.

"No. No, no, no, bad idea," Stiles protested immediately.

"Why?"

"Because then he'd want to know why you want to see it."

She shrugged. "So, I'd just lie."

"What if he doesn't have it? What if it's with Gerard, or another hunter?"

She grimaced. "Yeah, that would make things kind of difficult." Another thought hit her. "Plus, he'd have to keep it a secret from the others. If they find out he was working with us, he's a dead man."

"So, we're not telling Mr. Argent?" Scott looked incredibly hopeful.

"No. I won't mention this to him unless there's no other choice."

* * *

"So, how was your talk with Derek?"

She shrugged. "Fine, I guess."

"Did you get your necklace back?"

She shook her head sadly. "I didn't even think to ask. He was training his new pups, and then we talked about the creature that killed the mechanic."

"You what?" Scott cried.

She shushed him. "What's the big deal? He's already looking for it."

"Does he know what it is?"

"Dunno. Never got the chance to ask. Stiles called, and Boyd and I had to scram."

Stiles ran up to them, catching his breath. "Yes," he panted. "Seen…Gerard…with a book like that."

"Where does he keep it?" Scott asked.

Stiles took off in the direction he just came from.

"Why is he running messages between you two? You could just text her," Crystal wondered.

Scott shook his head. "Her parents check every text, every email, and every phone call."

"Then just borrow someone else's phone, or better yet, use Stiles's phone."

Stiles screeched to a halt next to them, even more out of breath this time. "She says—"

"Stiles." Crystal grabbed his shoulders. "Breathe."

"Trying."

"Come on." She led him over to a water fountain. He gulped the water greedily.

"What did she say?" Scott asked.

Crystal slapped his shoulder. "Give him a minute."

"She says it's got to be in his office."

"Can she get the book?"

Stiles groaned and made to take off. She grabbed his arm. "Wait. I've got a better idea." She held up her cell phone and dialed Allison's number, putting it on speaker.

It rang three times before Allison decided to pick up. "What do you want?"

"You know, wearing out your messenger boy really isn't a good idea."

"Drug dealers have been using disposable cell phones pretty successfully for a while now," Stiles added.

"Stiles?" Allison sounded surprised.

"Did you honestly think I'd call you unless I had no other choice?" Crystal scoffed, leading the way into an empty classroom. She dropped the phone on the first desk she saw like it was on fire.

"Girls," Stiles warned.

Scott leaned in toward the speaker. "Allison."

"Scott," she breathed.

Crystal grimaced childishly at Stiles. He smothered a laugh.

"Hey." Scott cleared his throat. "Uh, do you think you can get the book?"

"Not without his keys. He keeps them on him constantly."

"Where does he put them?" Stiles asked.

"In his jacket pocket."

"Well, you're coming to the game tonight." Stiles looked at his friends. "And it's gonna be cold out."

Crystal smirked, high fiving him. "Brilliant."

"So I ask to borrow his jacket, and then what? I can't just leave."

"Hand them to me. I'll search his office during the game," Stiles told her. "It shouldn't take long."

* * *

"You lied."

Crystal frowned at Lydia. "About what?"

"You said he wouldn't hurt me anymore." She was standing like her usual confident, haughty self. Only Lydia's terrified eyes gave her away.

Crystal could feel the blood draining from her face. "What happened?"

Lydia looked around the nearly empty parking lot before she pulled one of her gloves off, revealing several jagged cuts. Crystal gasped, taking it gently to inspect the damage. "How?"

"I don't know." Lydia's voice broke. "I woke up and my hands were like this and my mirror was shattered."

Crystal shut her eyes tightly to keep tears from forming. Peter had hurt her friend? "Did you tell him I said to leave you alone?"

"How am I supposed to know? I was _asleep_," Lydia reminded her.

She had to stop him. If he made Lydia do this, who knew what else he could have her do? She shivered at the images that flashed through her mind.

She opened her eyes, dropping Lydia's hand. "Are you going to the game tonight?"

Lydia shrugged. "Maybe."

"It might be better if you don't." The hunters were probably watching her; Crystal would have to ask Chris. She dug around in her backpack for a pen. "Give me your arms."

Lydia frowned but hesitantly held her arms out. Moments later, a crude sketch of a crystal along with the initials CPB sat in the middle of her forearms. She looked at Crystal questioningly.

"Show him these if you see him again. Then tell him to find me." If Peter hurt Lydia after that, she wouldn't be able to keep this a secret anymore. She'd have to tell Derek and Chris, and they would find a way to kill him again.

She really hoped it didn't come to that.

* * *

The crowd winced as another Beacon Hills player went down.

"Come on!" Finstock roared. "Is that thing even a teenager? I wanna see a birth certificate!"

"Who exactly is that?" Melissa asked.

"Eddie Abramovitz. They call him the Abomination," Crystal replied.

"That's nice." Melissa exhaled nervously.

Crystal squeezed her hand comfortingly. "Scott'll be fine."

"Yeah. Of course he will."

Stiles looked over his shoulder and rose. Crystal followed his gaze. Allison had Gerard's jacket draped around her. Stiles walked past her, not-so-subtly slipping the keys into his jacket as he headed away from the stands.

The player that went down earlier was wheeled by on a stretcher. "I can't feel my legs."

Her heart pounded. If the Abomination hit Scott like that, his legs would heal in moments, which meant Gerard would figure out what he was.

"Be careful, Scott," she breathed. Scott looked at her and nodded.

"He belong to you?"

The unknown voice nearly made Crystal jump out of her seat. Melissa shook her head, looking at her questioningly before answering. "No, ours is still on the field. And I'm over here, wishing he would have stuck with something safer, like tennis or bowling."

"Scott sucks at bowling," Crystal reminded her. She turned to get a good look at the boy. He looked like he was Scott's height, with brown hair and blue eyes. He held a camera and was snapping a photo.

"Are you the yearbook photographer?" Melissa asked.

He smirked, shaking his head. "No. I just like taking pictures."

"Of what?" Crystal asked.

He met her eyes. She was surprised at the disgust and anger that flared in them. What did she ever do to him? He glanced down, scrolling through his photos. "Whatever catches my eye."

The crowd's collective gasp drew her attention. She looked over at the field and rose when she saw who was being led over to the bench. "I'll be back," she told Melissa.

Danny was holding an ice pack to his head. She leaned over and grabbed his shoulder. He looked back at her blearily. She frowned. "You all right?"

He smiled weakly. "I'll be fine."

"You realize half the team's going to kick his ass for this, right?"

He laughed for a moment. "Ouch. Don't make me laugh, it hurts too much."

Finstock came over and held two fingers in front of Danny's face. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Danny blinked. "Four?"

"Say two," Finstock urged.

"Two?"

"Atta boy, now get out there!"

Crystal's grip kept Danny from moving. "You're kidding me, right? Coach, he has a concussion. If he gets hit on the head again, it could cause serious brain damage, or worse."

"Braddock, do you play sports?"

"I live with a nurse," she told him.

"Aha! That's a no." Finstock shoved Danny toward the other players.

She growled in frustration, stomping off toward Melissa.

"What's wrong?"

"Finstock's an idiot, that's what," she huffed.

"Where's Stilinski?" she heard him call. She was viciously glad that Stiles was ransacking Gerard's office right now, otherwise Finstock would send him out there like a lamb to the slaughter. "Braddock! Where's Stilinski?!"

"Beats me, coach!" she shouted back.

He pointed to someone in the stands. "You! You play lacrosse?"

Her eyes widened when Boyd stood up. "Damn it." She saw Erica grab his arm, but Boyd shrugged it off.

"We got ourselves a player!" Finstock crowed.

She watched anxiously as Boyd changed into a jersey. "Boyd, you'd better be careful otherwise I'm going to hurt you myself."

A flash of blonde hair and black leather caught her eye. Erica was leaving.

Crystal turned to Melissa. "I'll see you at home, all right?"

"Where are you going?"

"A friend texted me," she lied, taking off after Erica, who was already halfway across the parking lot. Crystal had a feeling she knew where Erica was going.

Erica didn't seem to even notice she was being followed until they were halfway to the principal's office. She swung around, eyes yellow and fangs and claws emerging. Crystal ducked behind a corner. Erica looked around for a moment before she continued down the hall.

_Are you kidding me?_ Crystal thought. Hopefully Erica was actually using her senses and just didn't care that Crystal was following her. If not, Erica was a dead werewolf walking.

Erica stopped outside the principal's office. The door was wide open, and Crystal could hear Stiles moving around inside.

"Oh, my—" He banged into something loudly.

Erica giggled. "Hello, Stiles." She stepped inside the office, giving Crystal a chance to move forward on silent feet. "You're coming with me."

Crystal giggled mockingly, leaning against the doorframe. "Touch him, and I really will send Chris a new werewolf for his birthday."

"Crystal," Stiles sighed in relief.

Erica smiled, showing her teeth. "What a surprise."

"Wouldn't be a surprise if you learned to use your werewolf senses properly," Crystal snapped. "What do you want?"

Erica nodded at Stiles. "Derek wants to talk to him."

"Why?"

"I didn't ask."

Crystal grinned at the opening. Stiles pounced on it first. "Like a good little soldier."

"He could have just called me."

"He wasn't sure you'd pick up." Erica smirked. "Surprising, since you two seem to be quite comfortable around each other now."

The subtext was obvious. Stiles gaped. "What?"

Crystal ignored that. "Well, let's go then. We don't want to keep the big bad wolf waiting."

Erica reached out to grab Stiles's arm, but a death glare from Crystal made her change her mind. She led the way out of the office.

Stiles stayed behind long enough to lock up the office. Crystal made sure to keep herself in between Erica and Stiles. When she passed an open classroom door, she got an idea.

"Stiles." She pointed to the keys and then to the classroom. It took him a few seconds before he understood. He slipped into the classroom and back out moments later.

Erica frowned, irritated at the delay. "What was that about?"

"None of your business."

They stepped into the pool room. Crystal wrinkled her nose at the stench of chlorine. Derek was standing there with a basketball in his hands. Erica went to stand beside him.

"Crystal." He didn't sound that surprised to see her there.

She moved to stand partially in front of Stiles. "Derek. What's with the escort? You could have just called."

He smirked. "I just wanted to ask Stiles about last night."

"You could have asked me."

"Maybe Stiles saw something you didn't."

"Uh, let's see. Lizard-like, tail, long claws that paralyze people, yellow eyes." She turned to Stiles. "Am I missing anything?"

"Several alarming EPA violations I'm seriously considering reporting."

Crystal genuinely laughed at his quip. Derek smiled slightly before he punctured the basketball with his claws. Her laughter died instantly.

"God," Stiles breathed.

"You don't have to scare him, Derek. It's true. That place was disgusting."

"Try again." He looked between them both.

Stiles sighed. "Fine. Uh, its skin was dark, sort of pattered. I swear I saw scales."

Derek looked pointedly at her. She huffed. "Fine, so Stiles is more descriptive than I am. Big deal."

"Is that enough?" Stiles asked anxiously. "'Cause I have something I need to do." Derek raised his eyebrows, flexing his fingers. Stiles groaned. "Fine. Eyes were yellowish and slitted. Um, it had a lot of freakishly sharp teeth. And Crystal already mentioned its tail."

As he spoke, Derek and Erica looked up behind them, expressions turning wary, if not fearful. Something was wrong. Crystal turned and froze.

"What? Have you seen it? 'Cause you've got this look on your face like you know what I'm talking—"

She reached forward, pulling a still oblivious Stiles behind her. The creature shrieked and fell to the ground right in front of them, eyes fixed on her. This time there was a murderous gleam in its eyes.

Derek saw it, too. He shoved her behind him. "Run!"

The claws lashed out, swiping Derek across the back of his neck. Not good. Erica snarled.

"No!" Crystal screamed, stopping Erica before she attacked.

"Your neck," Stiles gasped. Derek's legs fell out from underneath him. Stiles grabbed him.

The tail caught Erica in the stomach, sending her into the pool with a loud splash. Claws slashed Crystal across the back of her neck.

"Crystal!" Derek's and Stiles's combined scream echoed off the walls.

"Go!" She called. Her legs were already weakening. She backed up as far as she could before they gave out completely. She saw stars as her head hit the cold wet cement.

"Call Scott," she heard Derek say. The creature loomed over her, claws raised.

She was going to die. Her heart pounded roughly in her chest. Tears leaked from her eyes. She suddenly knew how the mechanic felt, staring up at the cause of your death and knowing there was nothing you could do to stop it.

Two delicate hands wrapped around her biceps and pulled her back. The creature's claws sliced across her stomach, drawing blood. She screamed at the agonizing pain even as she landed in the water. The chlorine burned even more, making her scream louder.

"Crystal," Stiles gasped.

"Keep her on her back," Derek ordered. "Try not to get water in the wounds."

She opened her eyes and stared up at Erica, who was supporting her in the middle of the pool. "Erica?" she whispered. "You saved me?"

"Yeah." Erica lost the badass image she'd sported lately, glancing fearfully at the bleeding gashes. "I kind of had to, or else Derek would kill me himself."

Crystal smiled weakly. "Can we stop the bleeding?"

Erica looked away, probably turning to Derek and Stiles.

"It would end up getting more water in them," Derek admitted.

"It's either that or I bleed to death." She clenched her teeth so she wouldn't cry.

"Can we get her out of the pool?" Stiles asked, voice shaking. "I don't see it anymore."

"It's still here," Derek said darkly. "I can smell it."

"You can smell something besides this crap chlorine?" Crystal laughed painfully as Erica brought her closer and ripped what was left of her jacket and shirt off, turning them into makeshift bandages as well as she could with one hand. "I seem to remember you and Laura complaining about the smell every time I dragged you to an outdoor pool. It must smell a lot worse in here."

"It does," Erica told her.

"And Peter always seemed to find a way out of those trips," Crystal continued. "I'm surprised your mom let him."

"She just didn't want to have to deal with him, and technically he was an adult. He didn't have to go."

"Peter always had a way of getting out of tough situations." Unbidden, the tears leaked from her eyes. "I wish he were here. He'd get us out of this."

"We are talking about the same Peter, right? The one who tried to kill us?" Stiles asked.

They were silent for a while, reserving what energy they could. Some time later, Crystal shivered and her eyes began to close.

Erica slapped her lightly across the face. "Hey. Don't go to sleep."

"Erica, bring her here," Derek said. Moments later she was staring up at furious red eyes. "Don't you dare give up, Crystal Braddock."

Stiles choked on water, making him flail and dunk Derek for a moment. "What!"

"I don't want to die," she snapped weakly. "But be real. Nobody knows we're here, that thing is somewhere, and unless we get out of here or the bleeding's stopped I'm probably going to bleed to death. So if you have a brilliant idea, please share. I'm all for it."

"We could call Scott, or even Argent," Stiles suggested. "Or you could howl."

Derek shot down that idea. "If either of us howls, it could bring the hunters to us before Scott gets here."

"I feel like I've had this conversation before," Crystal said dryly. "Oh, wait, I have."

"When?"

"With Peter, when he made us track your phone," Stiles panted.

"Who's Peter?" Erica asked.

"Derek's uncle, old friend of mine, former Alpha who turned Scott and went on a vengeful killing spree before Derek killed him and took his power," Crystal listed off quickly. Thinking about Peter gave her an idea. "Derek, do you still have my necklace?"

Erica made a sound of disbelief.

"Really?" Stiles asked. "You think now's a good time to ask about your jewelry?"

"It has a wolf whistle in it," Derek told him.

"I could also contact Peter with it when I was kidnapped. I let him know I was okay."

"So that's why there wasn't a dead hunter every day," Stiles realized.

"And part of the reason he went after Allison," she admitted. "I told him that she visited me once."

"How does that work?" Erica asked curiously.

"I don't know. Peter never explained it. Derek?"

"No idea." He sighed. "It wouldn't do us any good anyway. I don't have it on me."

Crystal closed her eyes briefly. There went that idea. She tried to think of a solution, but her thoughts kept drifting. A little voice in her head told her that wasn't good. "How's the bleeding?"

Erica lifted the shirt up. "Well, it slowed."

"That could mean she's lost too much blood. We need to get her out of here." Derek sounded worried.

"Did you notice the thing out there with multiple rows of razor sharp teeth that tried to kill Crystal?" Stiles protested.

"Did you notice that Crystal and I are paralyzed from the neck down in eight feet of water, and she's dying?!" he roared.

Stiles was quiet for a moment. "All right," he said quietly. "Stay put."

Erica held her up and stayed put. Stiles hadn't been swimming long when Derek suddenly said, "No, no, wait. Stop."

"It's here, isn't it?" Crystal asked, slurring the words.

"What's it waiting for?" Erica asked.

"What's going on?"

"It looks like it can't touch the water," Stiles told her.

"Maybe it can't swim," Derek suggested.

"Good."

The other three watched it. Crystal's eyelids kept closing, and each time it took longer for her to open them. The pain from the claw marks didn't hurt as much, but that could be because she could barely feel anything. Her entire body was like ice, except for a tiny ball of heat that pulsed in time with her heart. She was going to die.

_I don't want to die, _she thought fiercely. The claw marks on her stomach and the back of her neck itched. The ball of warmth grew slightly bigger.

"Stiles, don't even think about it," Derek warned.

"Look, just trust me this one time! If we don't do something, she's dead."

"Stiles, no!" Something heavy splashed.

"Derek!" Erica cried.

"Scott!"

Scott was here? No, that wasn't right. They wouldn't still be in the water. And Derek—where was Derek? Why couldn't she hear him?

The itching grew stronger as the ball of warmth erupted, searing her from the inside out. Her body tensed and she twisted forcefully, hoping it would make the pain stop. Erica let go of her with a yelp. She practically sighed with relief when the itching ceased. The last thing she heard before her wet clothes dragged her under was Derek's voice.

* * *

"Did you get him?" Derek asked.

Stiles shook his head, turning to Erica. She was looking at the bubbling water right in front of her with wide eyes. Crystal was missing.

"Where's Crystal?" Stiles and Derek asked at the same time. Derek's growl sounded much more intimidating.

"I—she just—I couldn't hold her," she stammered. "She got so hot really fast."

Stiles's eyes widened, remembering the night she got paralyzed for the first time. "Like a furnace?"

"I guess." The water stopped bubbling. Erica dove under the now warm water and brought up a spluttering Crystal.

"You okay?" three voices asked. She nodded, wrapping her arms around Erica's neck. Stiles laughed. She could move again!

After a while, Crystal let go so that she could swim on her own.

"Your wounds," Stiles protested. Crystal's makeshift bandages had slipped off when she went under. He blinked as his mind registered the scabbed over skin. "What the hell?"

She laughed giddily. "I'm all right, Stiles."

The creature shrieked in fury.

Stiles felt his muscles start to cramp. "I can't stay up much longer," he told them. Erica took Derek from him, relieving him of the dead weight.

"Float on your back," Crystal suggested. Stiles did, and he was able to rest for a few seconds before his clothes tried to pull him under. "Come on." She started dragging him over to the side of the pool.

"What are you doing?"

"You can't keep swimming much longer."

"But—"

Something grabbed the back of his shirt and Crystal's arm, flinging them onto the cement. Moments later Derek and Erica were right next to them. Stiles looked up, afraid he would see the creature. He sagged to the ground in relief. It was Scott.

"About time," he muttered.

Scott's roar nearly split his eardrums. Goosebumps broke out on his arms.

Crystal helped him sit up. "You okay?"

He nodded. "You?"

"I'm fine."

"Good." He pulled her into a tight hug. "If you ever do that again—" He shuddered, remembering her pale face and all the blood.

Something crashed. They looked over to Scott and the creature. Scott had a piece of a mirror in his hand. The thing was staring at its reflection, entranced and confused. Stiles blinked and it was gone.

"Scott." Derek's glare was probably the scariest he'd ever seen it—and he'd seen a lot of Derek's glares. He was so glad it wasn't aimed at him this time. Did that make him a bad friend? "Where the hell have you been?"

Scott shifted back, looking between the four of them and the pool. Stiles winced at the sight of blood in the water. "What happened?"

Crystal laughed humorlessly. "The usual. Derek and Erica dragged Stiles down here, I followed, that thing attacked. It paralyzed Derek and cut me up pretty good. Uh, we almost drowned." She shrugged at Scott's shocked face. "Stiles tried calling you."

"She almost died, Scott," Stiles whispered. "It would have killed her like it did that hunter if Erica hadn't pulled her in the pool."

Derek growled. Crystal got up and put her hand on his shoulder, both comforting and restraining.

"I'm fine," she promised. Suddenly she shivered. "I don't suppose I could borrow your shirt, Scott?"

The boys blushed and coughed awkwardly as they realized that Crystal was only in her bra. Stiles hadn't even really registered it in the pool, since he was more worried that she was going to die.

Scott tossed her his shirt, which she put on with a soft, "Thanks."

Derek's fists clenched. "Next time, don't hang up."

"We were sneaking around, trying to find the—something," Scott finished lamely. He turned to Stiles and Crystal. "I don't suppose you still have Gerard's keys?"

"First the necklace, now a set of keys. You McCalls worry about the strangest things," Stiles muttered, rising carefully. He wanted nothing more than to sleep for hours, but he couldn't yet. They still had to look through the bestiary.

"Did you find it?"

"It's on a flash drive, on the keychain," Scott told him.

"Good thing we decided to hide it, wasn't it?" Crystal asked dryly.

"What are you looking for?" Derek snapped.

"Records of things the Argents have hunted," she told him, rolling her eyes when Scott and Stiles looked at her, betrayed. "What? He wants to know what that thing is just as much as we do."

"Do you have any spare clothes?" Erica asked.

Derek rose, the paralysis having finally worn off. "In my car." He looked back at Crystal.

She squeezed his arm and released him. "We'll meet you outside."

After Derek and Erica left, the three of them headed to the room where Stiles hid the keys. It didn't take long to retrieve them. "I hope you brought a laptop."

Scott nodded. "It's Allison's."

"Of course it is," Crystal sighed.

Scott and Stiles trailed behind her as they went outside. Stiles hadn't even realized how late it was. The game was over ages ago.

"I thought Derek was going to rip my head off," Scott muttered, looking troubled.

Normally he would have made a joke, but he couldn't bring himself to. "You didn't see it. We honestly thought she was gonna die. I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life." The only other time he could remember feeling like that was when his mother was in the hospital. "As much as he doesn't want to admit it, Sourwolf cares about her."

"I'm sorry." Scott looked ready to cry now. "I was so worried about the bestiary that I didn't even think about why you were calling."

Stiles slung an arm over his best friend's shoulder and nearly walked into Crystal. She turned around, arms crossed. "Scott, we're all alive. We survived."

Scott pulled her into his arms. Stiles threw his other arm around Crystal. "I'm glad you're both okay," Scott said finally. "Now do you think you can let go? I'm getting soaked."

* * *

"What is that?" Crystal peered at the computer screen, trying to decipher the language. "Greek?"

"It's Greek to me," Stiles sighed.

"How are we supposed to figure out what that thing is if we can't read the bestiary?" Scott groaned.

"It's called a kanima." Derek's voice made them jump. Crystal wrapped her arms around him. To her partial surprise, he returned the hug.

Behind her, both boys raised their eyebrows at each other. Erica smirked.

"You knew the whole time?" Scott asked.

Derek shook his head, releasing Crystal. "No, only after it was confused by its reflection."

"And you couldn't have told us this inside?" she whispered. He handed her a jacket. She wrapped it around herself thankfully.

Scott frowned. "It doesn't know what it is."

"Or who," Derek finished.

"How is that possible?" Crystal asked.

"It's not supposed to exist like that." Derek sighed when she looked at him pointedly. "Look, I only know stories, rumors."

"But it's a shape shifter, right?" Erica asked, speaking for the first time.

"Yes, but it's not like us."

"It's all wrong," Crystal realized. Her eyes met Stiles's. "It's like an—"

"Abomination," Stiles finished.

"We need to work together on this," Scott said.

"I need to call Chris. Scott, can I borrow your phone?"

He looked up. "I thought we weren't getting him involved unless there was no other way."

"Do you want cops crawling all over the school? If not I kinda need to let Chris Argent—whose father runs the school now, in case you've forgotten—know that there's blood in the pool."

He sighed but tossed her the phone. She smiled. "Thanks."

Thankfully she had memorized the number ages ago. It rang for so long she thought it would go to voicemail. "Come on, Chris."

Finally, he answered. "Do you have any sense, McCall? It's as if you want to get caught."

"Uh." She looked nervously at the phone. "Hi, Chris."

"Crystal." His voice dropped the dangerous quality, but he still didn't sound pleased to hear from her. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Usually you sound a lot happier when I call."

"I sat through dinner with my wife, daughter, Gerard, and your brother tonight."

She nearly dropped the phone in shock. Her voice raised a couple of octaves. "What?" The werewolves winced. Stiles looked at her questioningly. She gestured wildly between the phone and Scott, trying very hard to keep her voice at a reasonable level. "Why was Scott having dinner with you?"

Stiles gaped. Scott shrugged helplessly.

"Because Gerard asked him to." Chris did a wonderful impression of a bear's growl. "According to him, Scott was the star player."

"Okay." She took a deep breath. "Thanks for the heads up, now I've got one for you. The pool at the school—"

"Nice, Dr. Seuss," Erica snickered.

Crystal ignored her. "It's got blood in it. And I'm not talking about what you get from a skinned knee."

"What happened?" Chris sounded concerned.

Derek shook his head firmly. She held up one finger, choosing her words carefully.

"The creature that killed the mechanic. It came after me tonight. Nothing real bad, but I'd rather not try to explain this to the cops."

"Did you see it?" Chris asked.

"Not much. It has a tail and some nasty claws. It was too fast for me to see anything else."

He sighed. "All right, I'll take care of it."

"Thanks. Bye, Chris." She hung up and returned the phone before whacking Scott repeatedly on the arm. "What the hell's the matter with you?! Do you remember what happened the last time we had dinner with the Argents? You almost got shot!"

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" Scott protested, holding her wrists to stop her assault. She shook him off and leaned against the car. "Gerard asked me right after the game; I couldn't say no."

"Why did Gerard ask you to dinner?" A horrible feeling came over her. "Something happened at the game."

"A lot happened at the game."

"You healed, didn't you?" Derek asked.

"Yeah," Scott admitted.

Stiles groaned, paling. Derek snarled. Crystal's heart almost stopped. "I told you to be careful," she said weakly. "You need to stay away from the Argents."

"What about—"

"Allison, Chris, all of them!" Her voice grew stronger with each word. She met his gaze, hoping he would understand the severity of the situation. Her voice shook. "Gerard knows, Scott. Chris can't help you anymore."

Scott's eyes widened fearfully. "Maybe he doesn't know. Maybe he just…just wanted to find out why Allison and I broke up."

"He's an experienced hunter," Derek told him. "If you healed in front of him, he knows you're a werewolf. This is why I told you to stay away from them." He looked like he wanted to hit something until it shattered.

Crystal's thoughts were spinning out of control. Gerard knew Scott and Derek were werewolves—did he know about the others? Boyd? Isaac? Erica? Would Gerard burn them alive in their homes, or would he cut them in half?

A warm hand touched her shoulder, nearly making her jump. Derek looked at her questioningly. She shook her head. "I'm fine."

"Great." Stiles waved his arms in the air, grabbing their attention. "The kanima's killing people, the hunters know Scott's a werewolf, Crystal almost died—can this day get—"

"Do _not _finish that sentence," she warned. "You'll jinx it."

He sighed. "So what do we do now?"

"We stay away from the Argents as much as we can." Derek looked pointedly at both Scott and Crystal. "We find the kanima before they do. And when we find it, I'm gonna kill it."

"So we're working together on this?" Erica wondered.

Crystal locked gazes with everyone in the small group. "For now."

* * *

**A while ago I promised someone that Crystal would get beaten up by the Kanima. I may have taken it a little far. Oops. But she's fine. **

**No, Crystal doesn't get her necklace back yet. Sorry, folks. **


	19. Venom

**Disclaimers and the usual jargon.  
**

* * *

_Oh, God. _Chris looked at the blood-tainted water. This wasn't a minor injury. Crystal had been seriously hurt.

A bundle of fabric floated in the pool. He flattened himself on his stomach and stretched his arm until his fingers met the material. Pulling it onto the concrete, he spread the jacket and shirt in front of him to examine the slashes across the stomach area. "Damn it."

He looked at the specks of blood on the cement. The ones further from the pool were most likely tracked by the reptilian creature; the drag marks near the edge were where Crystal went into the water. But something about them didn't look right. There should have been more blood pooling if she dragged herself.

Someone else had been with her.

He sighed and dialed a number. "It's me. I need you to get a cleaning crew down to the Beacon Hills High School indoor pools."

"How bad?" the other hunter asked.

"Lots of blood, no body."

"I'll call it in. Have you told your father yet?"

Chris knew he had to. If Gerard found out he kept the attack from him, there would be severe consequences. "I will." He hung up without another word, already dialing Gerard's number.

"Chris."

"The creature attacked again. His victim survived."

"Who?"

Chris closed his eyes and exhaled, sending a silent apology to Crystal. "Crystal Braddock," he said coolly. He had to keep it professional, for all their sakes. He couldn't afford to care.

"Ah. Derek Hale's friend and Scott McCall's foster sister." Gerard sounded far too pleased. "How did she survive?"

"I don't think she was alone."

"Derek Hale?"

"Possibly."

"Was she taken to the hospital?"

He shrugged. "I haven't checked yet. It's unlikely though."

Gerard chuckled. "The girl isn't stupid. She wouldn't want to draw too much attention to herself." No, Scott did that enough for the both of them. "We'll just have to hope she slips up. We'll need to keep a close eye on her."

Chris clenched his fist. "I'll take care of it."

Gerard hung up without another word. Chris looked back at the pool. There was so much blood, but Crystal had played it off like it was a mere scratch. He tried to get one answer and got two more questions instead. He knew she hadn't told him everything—he didn't tell her everything, either. But one thought kept nagging at him. He walked carefully down the hallway, sharp eyes looking for any sign of blood.

Someone—probably Derek Hale—somehow managed to get Crystal out of the pool, down the halls, and into a car after who knew how long in the water without leaving a blood trail, all before she bled out. That wasn't possible. The creature would have attacked again. Even if it hadn't, and Derek carried had her, there would have been blood drops on the tiles and in the parking lot. There was only a water trail. She wasn't a werewolf, or else the wound would have healed quickly and there wouldn't be as much blood.

So how was Crystal Braddock still alive?

* * *

The girl in question sprawled out on her bed, exhausted. She and Stiles had spent the last several hours on the Internet trying to find anything on the kanima. Derek was no help—he only knew one itty bitty detail that didn't answer anything, especially the biggest questions: who was it, and how did they stop it? He also wouldn't let her call Chris and ask if he might know the answers or possibly give them more information on the kanima.

The Internet failed them. Apparently a kanima was supposed to be a werejaguar from South America that hunted murderers. Why did it come after her then? She hadn't killed anyone.

Peter's words echoed in her head. _Only the responsible ones…._

She paled, shooting up. "Oh, hell." Several curses spilled from her mouth as her breaths came shorter and faster. Burying her fingers in her hair, she focused on regulating her breathing so she didn't pass out.

Peter had killed everyone involved in the fire. It didn't matter if they hadn't been the ones to pour gas around the house, or light the match, or even plot to kill the Hales. The former insurance investigator had only been bribed or seduced to cover it up. Harris had merely given Kate information on how to make a fire look like an accident, and still Peter would have killed him if Derek hadn't been there. Hell, he would have killed the other Argents just for being _related _to Kate!

What if the kanima didn't only go after murderers? What if it went after people who _saw_ someone die but didn't stop it, or couldn't? Did it matter if they spent every day wishing they could go back and stop it from happening, do something different so that maybe, just _maybe_, there would be a way to save them?

Tears streamed down her face. Did it try to kill her because she left Cora to burn? Because she didn't try harder to save Peter mere weeks ago? Or maybe it was because of her role in Kate's death. But why would the kanima care about Kate? If the information they had was right, it would have gone after Kate, too.

She clutched her stuffed wolf and curled into a ball, sobbing. Images of destructive flames and charred flesh played on her eyelids. How did the kanima know she was a killer?

She wished Peter was there. She wished she could talk to someone, _anyone_, who could possibly hope to understand what she was going through. Chris was out; she had promised Derek, and Gerard was probably keeping his son close by.

_Derek. _She still had Derek. But he had basically tossed her Hale pack friend status out the window when he took her necklace.

He had also protected her from Erica (or Erica from her, depending on how you looked at it) and helped her as best he could in the pool. He even made sure she got home safely.

_Damn it! _

"Crystal?" She barely turned her head, but that was enough for Scott. Eyes wide, he was by her side in an instant. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head, unable to get a word out with how tight her throat was. He sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped his arms around her. She buried herself into his chest, listening to his thumping heart while he maneuvered them so he was sitting on the center of the bed and she was practically in his lap.

"I miss them," she finally choked out, meeting his eyes. "They're dead because of me."

"What? No," Scott objected. He didn't even have to ask. He had been woken too many times by Crystal's nightmares. "_Kate _killed them. You didn't do anything."

"I should have."

"You got Peter out, didn't you?" He continued before she could do more than scoff derisively. "Yeah, he's dead now, but that's because of what he did. Not you."

They didn't speak after that. She let him hold her until she wore herself out and he stayed with her. Her eyes started drifting shut. Her fingers stroked the stuffed wolf's fake fur.

_I want them back,_ she thought, even as her brother pulled the blanket over them.

* * *

The next morning Scott and Crystal had just stepped out of the house when Derek pulled up.

"Jackson's clean."

They frowned in confusion. "Care to elaborate?" Crystal asked.

"I tested him last night. He's not the kanima."

Scott's jaw dropped. "You did what?"

"I thought we were supposed to be working _together_." Crystal raised her eyebrows pointedly.

Derek glared. "I thought he tried to kill you. I wasn't about to give him another chance."

"Why would you even think Jackson's the kanima?" Scott jumped in.

"It fit."

That just confused him even more. "What did?"

Crystal's eyes widened. "He's not a werewolf."

"_Why _would Jackson be a—" The pieces came together. Scott glared angrily. "You tried to change him."

"It didn't take," Derek replied brusquely. He looked pointedly at Crystal's car. "Don't you have school?"

"What do you mean it didn't take?" Scott asked. "I thought the bite either killed you or turned you, that there was no third choice."

Derek didn't answer him. Great. Why was he the one always left out of the loop?

Crystal sighed when Derek walked away. "Come on, Scott. We're gonna be late."

The surprises just kept coming. Scott was sitting in his first class waiting for Stiles when he caught a familiar scent. He watched in shock as Isaac came in with a wide smirk on his face, soaking up all the attention—Scott wasn't the only one staring—and took a seat.

Scott didn't know how long he'd been gaping before Stiles came rushing in. "Scott! I just talked to my dad, who talked to Jackson, and I've got horrible, awful, very, very, very bad news."

"I think I already know."

Stiles followed his gaze and nodded awkwardly. "Ah. I guess you do."

"Does Crystal know?"

Stiles rubbed his hand over his head. "No, not yet. I haven't seen her."

The warning bell rang, and the teacher walked in. She hesitated when she saw Isaac but greeted him with a smile soon enough. "Mr. Lahey, glad to see you're back."

"We've got to find her after class," Scott whispered, trying his best to ignore Isaac. "She's gonna want to know about this."

"She probably already does," Stiles replied. "It's gonna be all over school by the end of class. She's gonna be pissed that we didn't tell her."

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Boyd crossed his arms. "I didn't think it was important."

"Oh, yeah. Isaac gets arrested for his father's murder, turns fugitive, and then has his name cleared so that he's free to come back to school—_our _school_—_and somehow that's not important." She shot him a sarcastic look. "It's not as if I need to keep an eye on all of you or anything."

He frowned. "We can take care of ourselves."

She raised her eyebrows scornfully. "Scott. Lacrosse game. Ring any bells?"

"What about me?"

She jumped when Scott spoke from right behind her. Stiles wasn't too far away. "Will you quit doing that?"

"You heard?"

"About Isaac? Kind of hard not to."

"Okay, is there _anything _else we need to know before we go on with our day?" Stiles asked, looking pointedly at Boyd.

Boyd shrugged. "They tested Jackson last night; he's clean."

Stiles gaped. "They tested _Jackson_? Why?"

"It's complicated," Crystal told him, narrowing her eyes at Boyd. He seemed nervous for some reason.

"Story of our lives," Stiles muttered.

"Does Derek know anything else about the kanima?" Scott asked softly.

Boyd relaxed. "If he does, he didn't tell me."

Stiles scoffed. "Of course not. Luckily for Sourwolf, we managed to dig up something." He gestured to himself and Crystal.

She looked around. "Bell's gonna ring soon."

They all started walking in the same direction while Crystal quickly filled them in under her breath. "We only found one reference to a kanima—it's supposed to be a werejaguar from South America."

"That was not a jaguar," Scott protested.

"Which is why we think the website was wrong. It also said it goes after murderers, which doesn't explain why it attacked Crystal." Stiles waved in her direction.

"I have a theory," she replied brokenly. The sick feeling from the night before filled her again. "What if the kanima doesn't see in shades of gray?"

The boys all looked at each other in confusion. "Huh?"

She shook her head. "Never mind. I have to go." She took off down the hall before they could stop her. Rounding the corner, she nearly ran into Allison and Lydia.

"Crystal." Lydia grabbed her arms before she could run off again. "Are you okay?"

"I—I'm fine." Lydia's frown said she didn't believe her. Immediately she switched topics. "Can I see your arms?" The markings would have faded by now.

Lydia rolled up her sleeves. Crystal looked over where the markings had been, but there was no trace of them.

"What are you doing?" Allison asked when Crystal started drawing on Lydia's skin.

"None of your business," Crystal told her.

"It's complicated," Lydia said, sending Crystal a harsh glare. As soon as the second set of initials was done, she slipped her sleeves back over her arms. "Thanks."

* * *

Lydia's breath came in short, sharp bursts as she pressed herself up against the wall, hoping that maybe it was all a dream. It had to be. There was no other explanation for Peter Hale's appearance at the front of the classroom while the rest of the class vanished. But she didn't remember falling asleep. Maybe she was hallucinating again.

She flinched back as Peter tossed the desks to the side, clearing a path for himself. She screwed her eyes shut.

_Someone help me._

"_He can't hurt you." _Crystal's voice echoed in her ears. _"Besides, if he did hurt you, he'd indirectly hurt me, and he hates it when I'm hurting." _

"Crystal," she gasped, eyes flying open.

"She's not here." She thought she caught just a hint of a frown on his face. This was the first time she remembered hearing him actually speak. If she could keep him talking, maybe she'd find a way out.

"Sh-she said to tell you to leave me alone." She mentally rebuked herself for stuttering. Stuttering made her seem weak. Lydia Martin was _not _weak.

Peter Hale hesitated before he smirked cruelly. "Nice try. Crystal knows not to get in my way." He took one step closer.

"She said to show you these." She rolled up her jacket sleeves and showed him the crystals with the initials. His eyes widened. "She really wants to talk to you."

"That's not possible without her necklace," he said absently, reaching out to grab one of her arms. She tried to pull back, but his fingers dug into her skin. His finger traced over the crystal delicately. She trembled. "Tell her to get it back, and then we'll talk."

She blinked in surprise, and when she opened her eyes again he was gone. She stood at the front of the classroom, chalk in hand, looking at what appeared to be gibberish on the board. Half the class was laughing at her.

"Okay," Coach Finstock asked from beside her. "Does anyone else want to try answering? This time in English?"

She went back to her seat, ignoring the eyes following her. What did Crystal's necklace have to do with anything? Did this mean he would leave her alone now?

* * *

"We have a huge problem." Stiles and Scott took a seat on either side of her. "Isaac and Erica are going to test Lydia."

"_What_?" Crystal breathed. "No. That—she's not—"

"We know," Stiles said. "But Derek's still furious about what happened at the pool. I am too, but I know it's not Lydia. You have to stop him."

"Stiles, I can't just walk out of school and go find him! Besides, why would he test her?" she hissed.

"Probably for the same reason he tested Jackson," Scott said.

She blanched. "What if she's just naturally immune?"

"Well, you're going to have to talk to him, fast." He nodded in the direction of the door. Isaac and Erica had just walked in. "Because I think they're going to test her right here."

She glared directly at the other two werewolves, channeling all her fear and anger into the look. Erica frowned and shrugged slightly. Isaac didn't even meet her eyes. "Does Derek _want _to fight with me? Isaac. Erica. Get over here. Now."

They glanced at each other. Scott and Stiles mirrored their action with wide eyes. Erica sighed and came to stand in front of the desk. Isaac crossed his arms and leaned against it nonchalantly.

"Derek gave us a job to do. If you don't like it, take it up with him."

"Oh, I plan to. But Lydia's my friend. If you try to hurt her, I will stop you."

"I'll turn you into a fur coat and give it to her for her birthday," Stiles added.

Isaac laughed. "Crystal's threat was scarier."

She glanced up at him. "Oh, good. Chris will get two wolf pelts for his birthday."

"You're not touching her," Scott said as dangerously as he could. When Harris walked in, he grabbed his stuff and sat in the empty seat next to Lydia. Stiles took the other side. Erica took Scott's vacant seat. Isaac sat down at the table behind them.

"Einstein once said, 'Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity. And I'm not so sure about the Universe'." Harris glanced down at Stiles. "I, myself, have encountered infinite stupidity."

"It's like he wants me to kill him," Crystal muttered angrily. Erica chuckled.

"So to combat the plague of ignorance in this class, you're going to combine efforts through a round of group experiments. Let's see if the saying 'Two heads are better than one' is actually true." He looked up and met Crystal's eyes. She wondered if he was about to insult Stiles, even after what happened the last time. "Or, in Miss Braddock's case, less than one."

She smirked while half the class gaped, even though she was surprised he'd chosen to target her. Stiles and Scott looked at their teacher angrily. At least he wasn't picking on Stiles this time.

Before the boys could open their mouths and get in trouble, Harris paired Erica with Scott and put them at the first station. Soon everyone was working on their sugar crystals. Danny was better at this than Crystal was, so she watched and followed his instructions. She kept glancing over at Scott and Erica every few minutes. She rolled her eyes when Erica slid her hand up Scott's leg.

"That's disgusting," she muttered. Erica met her eyes and smirked, glancing over at Allison's table. Oh, so she was just trying to get a rise out of the two lovebirds? "You know, Allison's really good with a bow and arrow. She'll probably take your eyes out."

"What?" Danny asked, looking at her weirdly.

She smiled at him. "Huh?"

"I thought you said something."

"Oh, just—never mind." Harris rang the bell, and she got up. "See you later."

She took the seat right behind Stiles and Isaac. She had to do most of the work this time since her partner didn't want to do anything, but she was able to catch the end of their conversation.

"Unrequited love's a bitch," Stiles said. Crystal's lips twitched. He would know. "Maybe you should write about it in English class. Channel all that negative energy."

She put the dropper and the beaker down. It was a good thing, too, because the next words out of Isaac's mouth made her shake in anger. "Nah, I thought I'd channel it into killing her. I never was very good at writing."

"Not gonna happen," she hissed, leaning forward. "It's not her."

Isaac looked over his shoulder. "We'll see."

"Switch," Harris called.

She sat down next to Stiles, gripping his forearm tightly before he could get up. Harris watched them like a hawk for a moment before turning to another table.

"Hey, come on. She's gonna be fine."

"How can you be so sure?" He watched Isaac stir the liquid in the beaker slowly.

"I'll help her."

He turned to her, eyes alight with curiosity. "I don't think we got a chance to tell you. So, we were in Economics and Lydia went up to the board."

"Not surprising," she said absently, trying to get the measurement just right.

"Yeah, but she started writing what looked like gibberish. I thought I recognized some of it, so I took a photo and flipped it." He pulled out his phone and showed her a picture."The writing was backwards."

He traded the beaker for his phone and she zoomed in. Her blood ran cold.

Someonehelpme someonehelpme Crystal,helpme Shewantstotalktoyou Needthenecklace

Someone help me. Someone help me. Crystal, help me. She wants to talk to you. Need the necklace.

"Okay." She handed him back the phone. "Thanks."

"What's going on? Does it have anything to do with Lydia seeing things?"

"I'm taking care of it."

Stiles frowned. "That's not an answer."

"That's all you're getting."

"I'm just worried."

"I know. But she'll be fine."

"Switch," Harris called.

Crystal took Isaac's vacated seat. "Hey, Lydia."

"What's going on?" Lydia hissed. "Allison told me to be careful around Erica and Isaac. Scott and Stiles are acting weirder than usual."

"They're just being cautious," Crystal replied evasively.

"Why? Does it have anything to do with—"

"No," she interrupted. "Have you seen him?" Lydia nodded. "Tell me later, okay?"

"Fine. But you have to tell me why everyone's freaking out."

_If you hang around long enough we won't be able to keep anything from you_, Crystal thought darkly.

"If you've catalyzed the experiment correctly, you should now be looking at a crystal."

Looking around, Crystal saw that only Lydia's and Danny's beakers had something even remotely resembling her namesake. Scott and Stiles were looking at a beaker full of goop. Whoops.

She picked up the beaker and looked at their crystal. Isaac added the venom to it, she knew he did, but how could she get rid of the crystal without causing a scene? If she touched it with her bare hands, she would be paralyzed in moments. That would suck, but Lydia wouldn't be able to eat it. If Lydia ate it before Crystal was immobilized, then Lydia would either be paralyzed too or Derek would assume she was the kanima. Crystal _really _didn't want to be paralyzed again. It was a pain, and she couldn't protect Lydia if she was out of commission. She couldn't lose another friend. A small flash of heat surged through her.

She could feel several pairs of eyes on her.

"Miss Braddock."

Startled, she dropped the beaker on the table. It tipped over, spilling the crystal onto the table and the remaining liquid all over her hands and jeans. Lydia reached out to grab the beaker before it could roll off the table. Crystal rose from her seat, horrified.

Harris rolled his eyes. "Go wash your hands."

Her feet wouldn't move. Lydia reached toward the crystal on the table.

"I've got it," Crystal said immediately.

Lydia shot her a scornful look. "It's a sugar crystal. What's it gonna do, bite me?"

Her fingers closed around it, and she took it over to the trash. She didn't collapse. She didn't start freaking out about not being able to feel her legs. The venom didn't affect her.

Numbly, Crystal went over to the sink in the corner, ignoring the laughter from her classmates. As she washed the liquid off, she realized it felt thicker than it should. She paled.

"The liquid had the kanima venom too, didn't it?" she breathed.

She could hear Stiles gasp. Something hit the ground with a loud thud. She looked over her shoulder to see Erica, Stiles, and Scott all looking at her with disbelief. Isaac nodded, stunned. Allison's eyes narrowed.

What. The. Hell? If the kanima venom was on her, why wasn't she paralyzed like she had been in the pool?

As she cleaned up the rest of the mess, Crystal shot a glance out the window. Derek stood outside, with a clear view into the classroom. She groaned, throwing the paper towels into the trash with more force than was necessary. It was official. Lydia was immune—not just to the werewolf bite, but to kanima venom as well. And Derek knew it.

Now he thought she was the kanima. He would try to kill her.

* * *

**We need to talk.**

**I'll be at the lacrosse field.**

"Derek's outside waiting for Lydia."

"I know. I saw." Crystal sighed, pocketing her phone. "This is getting ridiculous."

"He's really going to kill her?" Allison asked, turning accusing eyes on her. "Can't you do anything to stop him?"

"All I can do is talk to him."

"Would he listen to you?"

"Girls!" Stiles jumped in, seeing Crystal's face turn red. "Fighting isn't going to help Lydia."

"He won't kill her," Crystal said with false confidence, leaning on the wall next to the door.

Scott shook his head. "I'm not so sure. After what happened in the pool, he'll kill anyone he thinks is the kanima."

"It's not her," Stiles and Crystal said.

"Guys, she touched the crystal. Nothing happened to her."

"Nothing happened to me," Crystal protested, glancing down at her jeans, still damp where she washed the slimy venom off.

"Yeah, how _did _you keep from being paralyzed?" Scott wondered.

"Maybe she built up a resistance," Stiles mused. "And it just comes naturally to Lydia."

"Immune or not, Derek thinks she's the kanima. So either we find a way to convince him he's wrong, or we have to figure out a way to protect her," Allison said.

"Derek isn't completely stupid. He wouldn't think about trying anything at school." Not with Gerard around.

"So we have until three o' clock to prove to Derek that he's wrong." Stiles ran his hand over his head.

"There could be something in the bestiary," Allison suggested.

"Oh, you want to search through the nine-hundred page book written in a dead language that none of us can read." Crystal rolled her eyes. "Tell me how that goes."

Allison glared at her. "I might not be able to translate, but I think I know someone who can."

"We are _not_ getting anyone in your family involved in this," she protested immediately. "They'd kill Lydia faster than Derek would. And aside from your dad, _they _don't tend to listen very well."

"I'm not stupid. I have someone else in mind."

"I'm going with Crystal. Maybe we can convince Derek to give us a chance to prove it's not her." Scott looked at the three of them seriously. "But if something happens, I want you to let me handle it, all right?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Allison asked.

Crystal scoffed. "You don't trust that he wouldn't hurt me?"

"I don't trust any of them right now. He hurt you when he took your necklace." He faced Allison completely, missing his sister's wounded frown. "I don't want you to get hurt. You can't heal like I can."

"I can protect myself." Allison pulled a small crossbow out of her bag and loaded an arrow into it. "What?" she asked, seeing something Crystal couldn't. "Is something else going on?"

"I just don't want to see you get hurt. Seriously, if anything goes wrong, call me. I don't care if your parents find out. Call, text, scream, yell, whatever. I'll hear you and I'll find you."

Crystal grimaced. Now they were all lovey-dovey. She opened the door wide. "Great, now that that's done, we—"

A twang echoed in the room. Before she could even blink, Scott was holding an arrow a fraction of an inch from her forehead. She shivered, realizing how close she came to dying again.

"Thanks, Scott," she breathed. They all turned to look at Stiles, who was paler than usual.

"Sorry," he apologized. "I didn't realize it had such a sensitive trigger."

Allison took the bow from him.

* * *

Crystal groaned when she saw Boyd on the lacrosse field instead of Derek. "Thanks for the heads up earlier, Boyd. Where is he?"

"Around."

"Derek!" she called, walking forward. Boyd blocked her path. She glared up at her friend. "Move."

"We just want to talk to Derek," Scott said, trying to calm things down.

"Talk to me."

"Boyd, we don't want to fight you."

"But your lord and master is fair game," Crystal grumbled.

"Crystal," Scott warned.

She stomped over to the bleachers and up to the top, relishing the harsh clangs under her feet that would hurt a werewolf's ears. She sat down roughly. "I'm not moving until Derek gets out here."

"I could make you move," Boyd reminded her.

She smiled sweetly. "But you won't."

"What makes you so sure?"

A dark figure appeared in front of the bleachers. She turned her complete attention to him. "It's not her."

"She failed the test."

"That doesn't prove anything," Scott said. "Lydia's different."

"Yeah, at night she turns into a walking homicidal snake."

"Prove it." Crystal crossed her arms.

"Why are you protecting her? She tried to kill you!"

"No, she didn't!" Fury pounded through her as she leaped down the bleachers. She landed right in front of Derek. "I know her. Lydia may seem like a cold-hearted bitch, but she's really not so bad."

"We think she's naturally immune somehow," Scott spoke up.

Derek nearly scoffed. "That's not possible."

"Really? So explain to me why the kanima venom didn't paralyze _me _in there." She waved to her jeans.

"I don't know. Maybe you built up immunity, but you can't be completely immune to something you've never even been around. Maybe you didn't even touch the venom."

"Damn it, Derek!" she screamed. "Lydia's been through enough. I'm not going to let you or your pack kill someone else I love!"

"I can't let her live! Not after what she did to you!" he roared.

* * *

Scott and Boyd looked between Crystal and Derek, who stood mere inches apart. Derek's eyes were tinted red, while the gold in Crystal's eyes swallowed most of the green.

Scott decided it would be a good idea to separate them before they ripped each other's throats out. "If you're wrong, you'll be killing an innocent girl."

"But I'm not wrong," Derek said stubbornly.

"You are," Crystal growled. "Lydia Martin is _not _the kanima."

"We'll need to see Lydia and the kanima in the same room at the same time; that'll prove she's innocent," Scott said.

"Or she'll turn into the kanima right in front of us," Boyd retorted.

"She won't," Scott and Crystal insisted.

Derek never broke his staring contest with Crystal, but the red left his eyes. Immediately, Crystal's eyes went back to normal. Scott blinked. They won? Derek was seriously going along with their plan?

"Please," Crystal breathed.

Derek sighed roughly. "We watch her closely."

"If anything happens, I'll call you."

"You won't need to. I said _we're _watching her."

Her face fell. "So you'll be lurking over our shoulders the entire time?"

"I could call Erica and Isaac and tell them to kill her now."

"Sleepover with Derek it is," Scott said hurriedly.

Reluctantly, Crystal nodded. "It's better than the alternative. Scott, Boyd, go let the others know what's going on."

Boyd looked between her and his Alpha before he took off. Scott frowned. "Aren't you coming?"

"Not yet. It seems we need to make arrangements." She shooed him away.

He sighed but left the two of them alone. His phone rang.

"Stiles?"

"How did it go?"

"We're good. Where are you?"

"Out by my Jeep. I can't believe it took them so long to give it back," his best friend complained.

He smiled. "All right. I'll see you—"

"McCall!"

Scott groaned inwardly as he saw Coach standing in front of him angrily.

* * *

"Okay, here's the deal. You will not hover around Lydia or freak her out in any way, shape, or form. Same goes for Isaac, Erica, and Boyd. Any of you even look at her wrong, I'm going to take a very sharp object and shove it in that person's eye."

Derek raised his eyebrows. "And if she looks at any of you wrong?"

"Unless she starts growing claws, scales, and a tail, you aren't going to touch her."

He clenched his fists. "Fine. But you can't be alone with her."

She huffed. "What if we're going through my closet and trying on outfits?"

"Then someone else will be in the room with you." He looked at her sternly.

She rolled her eyes. "Fine." She rose. "Meet at my place after school. And make sure you keep Isaac on a short leash." She was ten steps away when she whispered a faint, "Thank you."

It didn't take long to find the others—Stiles and Scott were waiting for her right outside the library.

"Crystal! Scott just told me. So they're gonna hold off on their whole plan?"

"For now, at least until we can actually prove that it's not her."

Stiles sighed in relief. "That's good."

"Did he tell you the rest? We're all having a 'homework session' over at our place."

He gaped. "What? All of us? Even Sourwolf and his attack dogs?"

"That's not nice," a voice purred from behind them. All three of them whirled to meet Erica, Boyd, and Isaac.

The doors to the library swung open, and Lydia and Allison stepped out. Allison froze when she saw the others there. Lydia looked between all of them, confused. "What's going on?"

"We're all having a homework session at Crystal and Scott's place after school," Isaac said.

"Want to come?" Crystal asked.

Lydia shrugged. "Why not? I need to talk to you, anyway." Crystal frowned, having almost forgotten that her friend had seen Peter again.

Lydia flounced off. Allison glared at Derek's Betas. "If you try to hurt her, I'll shoot you through the eye."

"Nobody's hurting anyone," Scott said.

"Come on." Stiles dragged Scott, Allison and Crystal into the library. "Did you find out anything?" he asked. They found an empty table away from everyone else and sat down.

"The kanima's similar to the werewolf, but it seeks a friend rather than a pack."

Crystal raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "Are you sure your source translated that right?"

Allison bristled. "Miss Morell was sure."

"Why can't that be right?" Stiles asked, trying to break up the argument before it began.

"Stiles, you did research on wolves. What's a pack?"

"It's a group of animals working together to survive. There's usually an alpha pair who have the pups and the pups themselves, who grow up to be betas."

"A pack is a family," Scott summed up.

"It's stronger than a family. It's the same with werewolves, only they don't have to be related. The pack survives by sticking together." She pointed at Scott and Stiles. "Case in point: Scott wouldn't have lasted this long without us and Derek."

"So what? Aren't reptiles are more independent? Maybe it's just lonely," Allison retorted.

"We'll just have to find someone else to translate the bestiary," Crystal snapped, rising.

"Like who?" the three of them asked. She didn't answer them.

As soon as she was gone, Stiles turned to Scott. "How did she do it? How did she make Derek change his mind?"

"I have no idea." Scott shook his head.

"It's Crystal and Derek," Allison scoffed, as if that explained everything. As Stiles thought about it, he realized that it did.

* * *

"Come on in." Crystal held the door open as Erica, Isaac, Boyd and Derek walked in. "Rules: No going in my bedroom without permission. No going into Melissa's room at all. You break it, you buy it. Am I forgetting anything?"

Stiles's voice drifted in from the kitchen. "Don't touch so much as a hair on Lydia, or I'll skin you and hang your furs over my fireplace."

"Oh, yeah." She smiled. "That."

"Stiles, you don't have a fireplace," Derek remarked.

"It's the principle of the thing," Stiles grumbled, walking out with a giant bowl full of popcorn. He was already stuffing some of it into his mouth.

Scott walked in with Allison and Lydia. Stiles nearly choked on the popcorn. Crystal grabbed the bowl before he could drop it, handed it to Isaac, and steered Stiles into the kitchen.

"You okay?" she asked when he could breathe properly.

"Yeah, I just—just wasn't, you know."

She smiled faintly. "If you start babbling about Lydia's hair or her eyes, I might have to throw you to the wolves."

He gasped dramatically. "You wouldn't really leave me with those beasts, would you?"

"Hey!" Scott said from the doorway. "We heard that."

Crystal and Stiles looked at each other and laughed.

"Come on, guys. You've got work to do."

"Wait, we're _really_ doing homework?" Scott groaned.

She pointed to the door. "Yes. You're not flunking sophomore year if I can help it."

"Then you're coming with us. After all, we can't let you flunk senior year. What kind of friends would we be if we did that?" Stiles pulled her out of the kitchen with them.

* * *

"What are you doing?" Lydia pointed to the sheet in front of Crystal. "You haven't done any of these correctly. You need to distribute the least common denominator to everything, not just the one side."

Isaac laughed. "You suck at math."

"Shut up," Crystal snarled. "You're even worse at chemistry."

"Nobody likes chemistry," everyone replied.

Derek walked in, eyes narrowing at how close Lydia was to Crystal. Four pairs of eyes shot him a warning glance. He scowled but knelt down next to Crystal on the floor. He glanced at the sheets that were lying in front of her. "Well, you haven't gotten any better."

"You do it then, smarty pants." Derek shot her an unimpressed glare. She picked up a math sheet and waved it challengingly. "Unless you can't." He growled softly, but picked up the pencil and sat down. Satisfied, she sprawled out on the carpet, twisting so her head was resting on his leg. She could hear faint laughter. "What?"

"Nothing," everyone besides Lydia, Allison and Derek chorused. Derek rolled his eyes but didn't look up from the sheet.

The room fell silent. Crystal's eyes drifted closed right before Derek spoke. "Done."

"What!" She sat up and snatched the paper in one fluid movement. "Lydia, are these right?"

Lydia looked over it and then to Derek, surprised. "Yeah. All three of these are all right."

"Son of a bitch!" Stiles, Scott, Erica and Isaac laughed at her reaction. "I hate you all," she pouted. "How did you do that?"

"You just have to know what to use."

"You're no help." She pulled herself off the floor, using his arm as leverage, and headed into the kitchen.

Lydia wasn't far behind her. "Can we talk?"

Crystal nodded, closing the door firmly in Boyd's face as he appeared. "Don't even _think_ about eavesdropping," she snarled through the door. "I'll be _fine._"

She turned to Lydia, who was frowning in confusion. "All right, we don't have long. Derek's being a paranoid bastard right now."

"You're dating Derek Hale?"

Crystal groaned. "Why does everyone think that? No, we're not dating."

"Huh." Lydia didn't seem convinced.

"No names," Crystal mouthed.

"I saw him. Today during Economics. He said he'd only be able to talk to you if you have your necklace."

"Did he hurt you?"

"Surprisingly, no. I think you're right. He—"

The door opened. Both of them fell silent as Isaac walked into the room. He smirked. "Am I interrupting something?"

"_Yes_," Crystal said through gritted teeth. He took his sweet time getting a glass from the cupboard. "All right, thanks, Lydia."

"Sure. You'll—"

"I'll get it back," she assured her friend.

Lydia paled. "Get it _back_?"

"Long story."

"Does it have anything to do with why everyone's watching me all the time?" Lydia whispered as they headed back to the living room. Isaac was tailing them, carrying a full glass of soda.

"Yeah, sort of." She reached out and squeezed Lydia's hand. "Don't worry about it just yet."

Lydia huffed. "When do I worry about it?"

"Hopefully never." Crystal snagged a handful of popcorn from the bowl in Stiles's lap. Dropping several pieces into her mouth, she pointed at Lydia and Derek. "All right, you two. How do I fix my homework?"

Derek and Lydia spent the next half hour talking her through the problems, with the others jumping in here and there. More than once she felt the urge to throw her textbook across the room. Finally, _finally,_ they called an end to her personal torture session and she and Lydia could gang up on Scott and Stiles. Lydia pointed out the handful of things she could find wrong in Stiles's work, which mainly consisted of spelling and grammar errors.

"Scott, you're just repeating the same words and phrases over and over again. Can't you come up with synonyms?" Crystal groaned. "And your spelling needs work." She turned to the other four. Erica, Boyd, and Isaac weren't even pretending to do anything other than watch them. "Don't you three have work to do?"

"No," Erica and Isaac chorused.

"It's done," Boyd told her.

"It better be. Don't think I'll let you slack off." She pointed in their direction warningly. They sent amused glances at each other.

"Yes, Mom," Erica joked.

"Crystal." Derek caught her attention and jerked his head to the other room. She followed Derek upstairs and into her room.

"What were you and Lydia talking about earlier?"

She scowled at him. "None of your business."

"If it has anything to do with either of you, then it's my business."

"What Lydia and I were talking about has nothing to do with the kanima."

Derek narrowed his eyes, but her heartbeat was steady. "Why do you need the necklace back?"

Damn it, so he _had _eavesdropped. She shook her head. "I'm not sure." Technically she wasn't lying. She had a thought about why she would need the necklace, but she wasn't certain. "But I know why I _want _it back."

"Because my family gave it to you," he guessed.

She smiled sadly. "Yeah. I guess…it's just a reminder that I wasn't alone. That I had people who loved me."

"You still do."

"Do you know how long it took for me to let myself care about anyone after the fire? It was over a year before I could start calling Melissa by her name, instead of just 'Ms. McCall' or 'Scott's mom'."

"What about Scott and Stiles?"

A small laugh escaped her lips. "They just wormed their way in. Have you seen those two? Scott's a literal puppy dog, and Stiles is one of the sweetest, funniest people I've ever met. They made me happy again."

The doorbell rang. Derek turned his head, listening. "It's Jackson."

"What the hell is Jackson doing at my house?" She bolted out of the room and down the stairs on silent feet. Jackson stood in the doorway, glaring at Scott and Stiles. Lydia was gaping in shock at her ex with Allison beside her. Derek's Betas watched from the living room entrance.

"Let me in," Jackson said haughtily. "I need to talk to Lydia."

"I don't think she wants to talk to you," Stiles said. "But if you ask nicely, maybe we would think about taking a message."

Jackson stepped forward, into the house, and shoved Stiles with his shoulder. Crystal saw red.

"Jackson," she called sweetly, hopping down from the last step and moving until she was practically in his face. Her voice grew cold. "What are you doing in my house?"

"Like I told these—"

"Think _very carefully _about what you say next, Whittemore." The chill in her words dropped to sub-zero levels. Jackson glanced at her, then at Derek on the stairs. His eyes trailed over the other werewolves, and finally met Lydia's gaze.

"I need to talk to Lydia," he repeated.

"Why?"

"None of your business," he snapped.

"It is my business when you've hurt her once already. No, more than once." They faced each other in silence. Realizing that he wasn't going to say anything, she directed her next question to her friend. Warmth filled her words again. "Lydia, do you want to talk to him?" she asked gently.

Lydia came to stand next to her. "I want to know what he wants." Her voice sounded remarkably steady.

Crystal stepped back. "If you hurt her again, I will rip you apart, piece by piece, and there will be nothing left for anybody to find."

Lydia led Jackson upstairs. Erica and Isaac went to follow, but Derek stopped them with a shake of his head.

* * *

Stiles tapped his pencil anxiously.

"If you don't stop that, I'm going to snap that pencil in half," Isaac warned him.

"Why are you worried about Jackson, anyway?" Erica asked.

"I'm not worried about him, I'm worried about Lydia," Stiles corrected her.

Erica rolled her eyes. "Why? She's the kanima."

"She's not," Crystal chided. "But I was serious. If he hurts her again, I'll destroy him."

Scott and Derek looked over at the stairs. Lydia raced down, face pulled into a worried frown. "Something's wrong with Jackson."

Derek, his pack, and Scott vaulted up the stairs. Allison pulled out her crossbow. Crystal moved in front of Lydia, nudging Stiles behind her. Erica came down a moment later.

"It's here."

* * *

**That's all for now.**


	20. Status: Regained

**First off, I wanted to thank EVERYONE who reviewed last chapter. Secondly, I want to apologize for my hiatus. Good news is I'm maybe halfway done with the next chapter, so it shouldn't take nearly as long to post.  
**

* * *

"We have to go," Erica told them.

"What about Scott?" Allison asked.

At the same time, Lydia protested, "What about Jackson?"

"Scott and the others will be fine." Something crashed upstairs, and they could hear a distinct thud like someone just hit the floor. Stiles's heartbeat stuttered worriedly. Was that the kanima or someone else? Boyd roared furiously. Erica grabbed Crystal's wrist. "We have to go."

Crystal nodded. "Guys, get to the cars."

"But—"

"_Go!_"

As much as he wanted to argue, he knew it wasn't a good time. Stiles opened the front door, and they booked it. The kanima—_Jackson_—screeched above them. Allison yanked open the Jeep's door, and she, Lydia, Erica, and Stiles piled in.

"Where's Crystal?" Lydia asked.

Allison pointed. "There."

Crystal was at Derek's Camaro, one hand on the door handle while she faced the kanima. He could tell that she was frightened; her hand kept tightening until the knuckles were white. The kanima crouched directly across from her, easily within leaping distance, but it was almost completely still as they stared each other down. The only movement Stiles could see was the flicking of its tail.

"What is that?" Lydia gasped.

"Derek's gonna kill me," Erica groaned. Lydia shot her a disbelieving look.

The—Jackson hissed and leaned forward. Stiles's blood chilled. He could hear his heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears. The last time those two met, Crystal nearly died. If one of the werewolves didn't get down here _right now_—

With a loud roar, Derek leaped down from Crystal's open window. Scott wasn't far behind. The two werewolves stood behind the kanima (Jackson, he reminded himself). For a split second, Stiles wondered who would attack first. His money was on Derek, because he looked the angriest.

"Stiles, get us out of here," Allison said firmly, snapping him out of his thoughts. The kanima whipped its head in their direction.

"We won't be able to outrun it," he replied.

"We have to try."

It turned out they didn't need to do anything. The kanima leaped on top of Crystal's car, vaulted onto the house roof, and disappeared around the other side of the house. As soon as it was gone, Stiles and Crystal sagged in relief. He was the first one out of the Jeep, closely followed by Erica, Allison and Lydia. Isaac stepped onto the porch.

Derek turned to glare at Erica. "I told you to keep her safe."

"Derek, I'm fine," Crystal protested before he could chew Erica out. Hearing her relieved and annoyed tone helped Stiles breathe easier. Scott came to stand beside him, shooting him a concerned look.

"We're all right, Scott," Stiles whispered. "We're okay."

"What were you thinking?" Derek snapped.

"It's not my fault he wants to kill me." Crystal rolled her eyes.

Eyes flashing red, Derek looked at both Isaac and Erica, pointing to Crystal. "Take care of Boyd. Stay here with her until I get back."

"Where are you going?" Scott asked.

"To kill it!"

Derek was gone before Scott could stop him. Stiles was already moving back to his Jeep. Scott hopped into the passenger seat.

"Scott!" Allison moved to the passenger side before he could close the door. "Be careful."

Stiles saw Crystal roll her eyes in disgust.

"You, too. Don't forget: anything happens, call me."

At least they weren't getting completely mushy.

* * *

Crystal turned to Isaac as soon as Stiles drove off. "What happened to Boyd?"

"The kanima paralyzed him," he said quietly.

"He'll be okay, right?" Erica asked.

"He'll be fine," Crystal assured her.

"Does somebody want to explain what just happened?" Lydia asked, voice rising. "Where's Jackson?"

Crystal's heart broke for the younger girl. As much as she wanted to keep her out of this, it was no longer an option. Peter made sure of that the moment he decided to bite her—tonight just cemented it in stone. "Lydia."

Allison swung her arm over her friend's shoulder, glaring at Crystal. "Come on. I'll take you home."

Lydia remained rooted to the spot. "Crystal?"

Stepping forward, she wrapped Lydia in a tight hug, even though it meant standing right next to Allison and her crossbow. "I need you to go with Allison. As soon as I can, I'll explain everything." Lydia scoffed. Crystal pulled away and met her eyes. "I swear. But you can't breathe a word of what happened here to anyone else. It's too dangerous."

Seeing the earnestness in Crystal's eyes, Lydia nodded reluctantly. "I'll hold you to that promise." She marched over to Allison's car.

Allison turned to her in a fury. "We can't tell her!"

"She's already involved. For her, ignorance isn't bliss; it's dangerous. It could get her killed." Crystal turned on her heel, leaving a fuming hunter behind—Derek would have a conniption if he found out she turned her back on a potential enemy—and steered the two werewolves inside. "Where's Boyd?"

"Upstairs. Your room," Isaac said.

She stilled. "You guys were in my room?"

He winced. "Yeah. Sorry."

"How bad?"

"Boyd isn't—"

"My _room_. How. Bad?"

Isaac shrugged. "You might just want to see for yourself."

Steeling herself, she followed Isaac up to her room. Her bedside table was overturned, everything that was on top flung around the room. Her laptop looked like someone had either punched it or stepped on it. Her stuffed wolf didn't have its head anymore. Her mirror was shattered into a thousand tiny pieces. Boyd had to have been tossed into it, because he was sprawled face down on the ground and surrounded by glass. All of that she could handle. It could be replaced, although she felt bad about the stuffed wolf. And she was pissed about the laptop—hopefully Danny could recover her English essay.

What crushed her most were the pictures.

Her box had been on her bedside table but now it was wide open on the floor, scattering pictures and trinkets all over the floor. At least one of the pictures was crumpled from being stepped on, and a couple of them were ripped apart completely.

"Crystal?" Isaac asked from behind her.

Inhaling sharply, she focused on the problem in front of her. "Isaac, take Boyd over to Scott's room. Put him in the tub. I'll be there in a minute. Erica, can you get a broom and dustpan from the kitchen?"

Erica left without a word. Isaac gently lifted Boyd off the floor and carried him out. He made it seem so easy, even though Boyd was probably twice his size. Not for the last time, Crystal marveled at werewolf strength. She stepped carefully over the shattered glass and picked up the first picture she found. It was torn in two, with claw marks piercing both halves of the photo. Her heart seized when she saw that it was one of her favorites: the one where she and Peter were asleep, his arm around her and her head on his chest.

_It's okay,_ she told herself weakly, wiping away her tears. _Nothing a little tape can't fix. _If only everything else could be fixed so easily.

"Boyd's in Scott's tub." Isaac's voice made her jump. "Sorry."

"It's fine." She tucked the ruined halves carefully in her pocket and followed Isaac to Scott's bathroom. Erica was already there. Boyd was sprawled in the tub, stripped to his underwear, eyes open and glowing. "Anything broken?"

"No," Boyd growled. "Just got some glass stuck in me."

Crystal got a first aid kit out from under the sink and pulled out a pair of tweezers. "You two are gonna have to help me. We need to get the glass out."

It took a while, but they eventually got all the glass out. One piece was lodged deeply in Boyd's stomach. Isaac had to cut into Boyd's skin so he could get a better grip on it. When he finally yanked it free, they flinched as Boyd roared right in their ears. His claws burst from his fingertips as he healed. He leaned back with a sigh, bending his knees awkwardly.

Isaac's jaw dropped. Erica gasped. Crystal frowned. "How did you do that?"

He shrugged.

"Can you stand up?" Isaac asked.

With the other two werewolves' help, Boyd was able to rise unsteadily to his feet and get out of the tub. They turned to Crystal, but she raised a finger to hold off their questions. "I'm thinking." Boyd didn't start healing until they got that deep piece of glass out. After he healed, he was able to move. "Are you still partially paralyzed?"

"My legs are numb, but I can sort of move them," Boyd told her.

"It's not enough," she muttered. If she could speed up the healing process...She could only think of one way to do that, and she shuddered. "Boyd, would you be fine with waiting until the venom wears off?"

Boyd shot her a disbelieving look. "What's my other option?"

"Cutting you so the healing speeds up."

Erica grimaced. Isaac inhaled sharply, horrified, before his confident mask slipped back into place.

Boyd nodded. "Do it."

"I was afraid you'd say that." Sighing, she looked at the other two. She had a feeling they'd be able to do it if they had to, but she didn't want to make them hurt their pack mate. "Hold him." Erica held onto his ankles while Isaac stood behind Boyd and wrapped his arms around the bigger werewolf's chest and biceps. Crystal was amazed his arms fit. Digging around in the first aid kit, she found a small pair of scissors and hurriedly jabbed them deep in Boyd's thigh. Erica's firm grip on his ankles was the only thing that kept him from reflexively kneeing Crystal in the face. Crystal's stomach heaved when the scissors cut through flesh and blood dripped around them, covering her hand. As soon as she removed the scissors, Boyd's leg healed. He shook the other two off, finally able to stand on his own again.

"Thanks."

She smiled feebly. "No problem." Her voice squeaked. Clearing her throat, she added, "You can take a quick shower in here. Then get dressed and come help with my room." She headed for her own bathroom, wanting to get the blood off her hands as soon as possible.

* * *

Between the four of them, it didn't take more than half an hour to get her room straightened up. Crystal found tape in one of the drawers downstairs and fixed the pictures that were ripped in half as best she could. Isaac was able to sew her stuffed wolf's head back on properly, which surprised her. She couldn't really picture him as someone who knew how to sew, but she didn't ask him about it. Boyd and Erica made sure there weren't a bunch of claw marks in the woodwork. She left her broken laptop on her bedside table. As soon as Isaac finished sewing the wolf, he tossed it to her. She hugged it tightly to her chest. "Thanks, guys. You need a ride back to Derek's hideout?"

Even as she spoke, she knew there was no getting rid of them. The three Betas looked at each other awkwardly. Crystal sighed in exasperation. "Right. Derek wants you to keep an eye on me." Any other time she would argue, but she was too tired. Instead she shooed them all downstairs and told them to pick a movie. Erica wanted a rom-com, but Isaac vehemently protested. He wanted one of the Batman movies Stiles had left over at some point. Boyd didn't care for either movie, but he sat quietly on the couch with Crystal while the other two argued.

Fed up, Crystal walked up to the DVD stack, pulled out a random movie, and put it in. The opening credits brought the wolves out of their argument. Both looked at her like she had just stabbed their puppy. She raised her eyebrows, unimpressed. "You couldn't decide, so I chose for you."

Both complained but they sat back. They brightened when the main screen popped up, though they both tried to hide it. Crystal sat on the couch next to Boyd, grateful that _Pirates of the_ _Caribbean_ could shut them up for a little while.

* * *

"Are you sure we shouldn't tell Crystal about this?" Scott didn't like keeping secrets from her; besides, she always found out at some point.

Stiles closed the back of the prison transport van, shaking his head firmly. "Oh, no. Absolutely not. If we get her involved in this, she would get in a hell of a lot more trouble than we would. And if we get her arrested, she and Derek will both kill us. Slowly. Painfully. In the _worst _possible way we could think of, and trust me, I can think of a lot of horrible ways to die." Scott winced. That was true. "I don't wanna die, Scott."

"She's gonna find out sooner or later."

"I vote for later." Stiles raised his hands at Scott's sigh. "We could always just kill him."

Scott shot his best friend an exasperated look. "We're not killing Jackson."

"Fine," Stiles grumbled. "Then we're definitely not letting Crystal know what we're up to."

* * *

Derek practically stormed into the McCall house, snarling. Where the hell did the creature go? And where were Scott and Stiles?

He turned toward the living room and took in the scene before him. Boyd, Erica and Isaac were asleep on the floor in front of the TV, a popcorn bowl on the coffee table behind them. Crystal was asleep on the couch with a blanket thrown over her, holding her stuffed wolf. Derek wondered who'd fixed it, having seen the kanima rip its head off just to taunt them. And Boyd had taken the bait.

His eyes flickered between his wolves and Crystal for a moment before he came to a decision. On silent feet, he moved to the couch and lifted Crystal into his arms. Her stuffed wolf fell to the floor. She must have been exhausted because she barely twitched. He glanced back over his shoulders as he made his way up the stairs and shook his head in exasperation at his pack. They were still fast asleep.

_Well, they're not exactly in danger right now,_ a small voice muttered sardonically in his head. _Besides, Crystal didn't move either, even when you picked her up. By the way, that was adorable. Are you going to tuck her in and make sure she has a cuddle buddy, too?_

Derek rolled his eyes at the voice that sounded suspiciously like his deceased uncle. He pushed Crystal's bedroom door open and laid her carefully on the remade bed before he looked around the room that had been trashed mere hours before. Her mirror was gone, her laptop lying broken on the bedside table. The box with her favorite trinkets and pictures was sitting behind the laptop. He wondered which pictures she kept in there.

It wasn't any of his business, even if he was curious. If Crystal wanted him to know, she'd tell him. As he went downstairs, he heard a car turn onto the street toward the house. It didn't sound like Stiles's Jeep, which meant it was probably Scott's mom. He wondered if he should head upstairs and duck out a window before she saw him. One glance at his sleeping pack nixed that idea. Who knew what they would do if they were startled awake. If one of them accidentally hurt Scott's mom, it would be a disaster. She would find out what they were, and she would freak out.

"Also, I don't think Crystal would be too happy with you guys for hurting Melissa."

Derek shot a glare over his shoulder, eyes glowing and bringing everything into infrared focus. His claws came out. He could have sworn that he'd just heard Peter in the room. But that wasn't possible. Peter was dead.

A ghostly laugh sounded. _You made sure of that._

The door swung open. He caught Melissa McCall's scent right before she stepped inside, so he sheathed his claws. A single blink restored his eyes to normal.

"Uh…who are you?" Ms. McCall asked warily.

"Derek Hale," he introduced himself gruffly.

"Crystal's friend." She eased infinitesimally, but she still shook her head. "What are you doing here? It's almost three in the morning."

Derek knew she wouldn't accept a shrug for an answer. "Crystal needed help with her homework, and afterward we watched a movie."

By this point, she had relaxed completely. "Let me guess: math?"

His lips twitched upward. "She never was very good at it."

"Well, it's nice to properly meet you." Ms. McCall looked in the living room and pointed at his three sleeping Betas. "She invited Erica, Isaac and Boyd?"

Derek nodded. "Scott and Stiles were here too. I think they're over at Stiles's house."

"Probably." She sighed. He frowned slightly, oddly concerned at the suddenly exhausted look that crossed her face. It was gone a few seconds later, replaced by a sweet smile. A pang shot through him. With that smile, she reminded him so much of his aunt Serena. "Well, feel free to crash down here or in Scott's room. Can you get a few blankets and pillows from the hall closet? It's right next to the bathroom."

Unable to find a good enough reason to decline, he did as she asked. She took the time to throw the blankets over his pack and slip pillows under their heads gently enough not to wake them. Derek quickly folded the blanket Crystal had been using, turning so Ms. McCall couldn't see him blink tears out of his eyes. He picked up Crystal's wolf and paused. Right underneath the stuffed animal was a picture carefully taped together. It was quite obviously ripped, and the puncture marks weren't so easily hidden, but someone had taken the time to repair it as best they could.

"Derek?"

He looked up. Scott's mom was standing there, arms crossed. "Make sure you get some sleep."

"I will."

"If you stick around for breakfast, there's cereal and pancake mix in the cupboards, or you can make French toast," she added in a slightly gentler voice.

"Thanks." He waited until she had gone upstairs before he picked up the picture and turned it over. It seemed like he was taking an emotional beating tonight—it was a picture of Crystal's thirteenth birthday party. She was on the couch blushing at something Cora had whispered to her, her pendant around her neck. Laura was leaning over the back of the couch looking down at the girls. Peter sat on Crystal's other side shaking his head, eyes closed and a smirk on his lips. Daniel and Jessica were talking with Talia and Mike.

He smiled sadly as he remembered the last birthday party they had celebrated together, a memory he had long ago buried.

"_Come on, Derek. It's a birthday party. You're supposed to be having fun," Cora complained, pulling on his hand. Derek refused to move from the chair. He'd really rather be with Kate, but his parents had insisted that he stick around for Crystal's party._

"_Derek's just moping," Laura told their younger sister._

"_Well that's rude," Crystal mock-sniffed from her place next to his uncle. "This party is the best."_

"_Oh, yeah," Derek said sarcastically. "Cake and cookies, and then later we'll break out Pin the Tail on the Donkey!"_

"_Actually, I was planning on pinning the tail on a werewolf," Crystal retorted._

"_Only if you can catch us." Peter raised his eyebrows._

_Crystal smiled up at him sweetly. "You'll help me, won't you, Peter?"_

"_Why should I?"_

"_Because the grouch over there needs cheering up. And it'll be funny."_

"_You're not sticking Derek with a needle," Jessica told them._

"_Aww, Mom," Crystal whined. "It's not like he doesn't have a big enough stick up his—"_

"_Crystal," four adults warned as one._

_The newly-turned teenager pouted. "Well, he does."_

_Peter ran a hand comfortingly over her hair. "He's just upset because he can't visit his girlfriend."_

_Derek growled loudly. Crystal and Cora ignored it, glancing at each other gleefully._

"_Ooh, Derek's got a girlfriend," Cora sang._

"_What's her name?" Crystal asked. The two of them moved in his direction. "Tell us. 'Cause if you don't we'll just have to make up a name."_

_Glaring at the brats, he let his nails grow into claws. He noticed his mom look his way, eyes glinting in warning. Even though Peter's eyes were mostly closed, Derek knew he was watching them like a hawk. Crystal's heart beat a little faster as she watched his claws grow, but she pushed her caution aside. "Come on, Derek. Please?"_

"_No."_

"_Is her name Crystal?"_

_Wide-eyed, Derek's head shot toward his sister's in shock. His claws turned back into nails. The parents chuckled. "What?"_

_Crystal glanced between him and Laura. "Did you hit your head or something?"_

_Laura shook her head, grinning. "Maybe he's dating a girl named Crystal, and he just doesn't want you to get jealous."_

"_Wh—jealous?" Derek couldn't even look at Crystal now, but he knew she was blushing just as badly as he was._

"_I don't like him like that. I don't like anyone like that." But Crystal's heartbeat stuttered._

Lie.

_Four pairs of eyes turned to the blushing girl. Peter raised his eyebrows. "Who is he?"_

"_H-he who?" she stuttered, heart pounding rapidly._

_Peter chuckled. "Well, this night just got a lot more interesting."_

"_What's his name?" Derek mocked._

_Scowling now that the tables were turned, Crystal plopped back on the couch next to Peter. "You guys think you're so smart, like you're a bunch of mind readers or something."_

_Cora hopped up on the couch next to Crystal, leaning in to whisper softly in her friend's ear. "It's Isaac's older brother, isn't it?" Unfortunately for her, everyone with wolf ears heard.  
_

_Sensing the perfect moment for a blackmail photo, Derek raised the camera at his side. Laura leaned her head over the couch, keeping her eyes hidden. "Are you talking about Camden _Lahey_?" she hissed._

_Peter closed his eyes right before the camera went off. Derek hid the camera between him and the chair, glad the pressure was off him. Crystal's heart jumped and her face got even redder.  
_

"_He's eighteen," Peter said just loud enough for Daniel, Mike, and Jessica to hear with their human ears. Daniel came over and asked what was going on. The moment Peter opened his mouth Crystal punched him in the arm._

_Thanks to his sisters, he had enough blackmail material to keep Crystal off his back about his secret girlfriend. _

Holding onto the picture like it was made of delicate glass, he took it and the wolf to Crystal's room. He tossed the wolf gently onto the bed, almost hitting her in the face. He put the picture in the wooden box on top of the other pictures and closed it before he could be tempted to keep it. He shoved his clenched fists into his jacket pockets. His left hand brushed something small and metallic. His fingers traced the pendant, Crystal's words echoing in his ears.

_It's just a reminder that I wasn't alone. That I had people who loved me._

With a sigh, he took the necklace out of his pocket. He really should give it back. But she had turned her back on him, chosen Scott over him.

Peter's voice was back, scoffing in his head. _No. She didn't turn your back on you. Well, I suppose she did for a bit, but at the skating rink she was doing what a pack friend—what a _wolf_—does. She was protecting her pack mates._

But Crystal wasn't part of his pack.

_Maybe not officially, but she's still Hale pack friend. And she always will be no matter whose pack she belongs to._

Derek sighed and laid the necklace on the battered laptop.

* * *

He thought he felt a grin stretch across his face as the chain in front of him vanished, the smell of the sun-lit rainforest fading slowly. All that was left in front of him was the Martin girl's essence thread, but soon Crystal's would replace Derek's once more. He'd been tempted to pay Miss Martin a visit earlier, just in case, but Crystal had wanted him to leave her alone. And so he would respect her wishes—as long as she helped him rise on the night of the Worm Moon.

* * *

Crystal blinked awake, frowning. She could have sworn she had gone to sleep on the couch. She twisted in confusion. Maybe Boyd or Isaac had carried her up? No, those two had fallen asleep before she did. Scott, perhaps?

She rolled out of bed and headed downstairs quietly. The sky was starting to lighten. She found her phone on the kitchen table and plugged it in to charge. As the screen lit up, she checked the time and saw she had just enough time to take a quick shower before school. She turned to go back upstairs and halted at the sight of three werewolves asleep in her living room. She thought Derek would have kicked them awake and made them head back to the lair.

She barely had to touch Isaac's shoulder to wake him. "Morning. Get ready, we're gonna have to leave soon."

His scoff was covered by a loud yawn. "Big deal. It's just school."

She glared at him as she shook Erica and Boyd awake. "You're going to school. No exceptions."

"Is there such thing as a pack mom? 'Cause I'm pretty sure you're it," Erica grumbled.

Boyd shook his head. "She has to deal with Scott and Stiles on a regular basis. She's had practice."

"Come on. It's just after seven." She pointed to the three of them. "Do you have your stuff?" They didn't respond, but she knew they didn't. Their backpacks were nowhere in sight, and she couldn't recall them actually doing any homework last night. "Fine. Go eat, and I'll be down soon."

She was ready in twenty-two minutes. She had just turned around to leave when the sunlight glinted off something on her bedside table. Curious, she turned around. It took her longer than it should have for her brain to register just what it was she saw. Moving slowly, as if it were a mirage, she reached out and touched the cold metal. She inhaled sharply, clinging to it tightly. It was real.

Hurriedly slipping it around her neck—he had even fixed the chain—she darted downstairs, backpack slung haphazardly over one shoulder.

Derek was at the stove making French toast. The Betas were looking at him as they ate their bowls of cereal, more than a little perplexed, but she paid them no mind as she barreled in. Derek stepped toward her and away from the hot stove and the ingredients. "What—"

She silenced him by flinging her arms around him and hugging him tightly. "_Thank you_."

An amused whistle brought the Betas to her attention. Isaac had a bad boy smirk on his face. "What was that about?"

Erica leaned her head to the side. "Maybe they kissed and made up."

"Maybe you two need to mind your own business," Derek snapped. They went quiet, but kept sending amused glances at each other. Belatedly, Crystal realized that she still had her arms around Derek. He didn't say anything as she released him.

"Uh, your toast is gonna burn," she muttered awkwardly. She pointed to the wolves. "Car. Now." They got up, leaving their bowls on the table. "Ah, ah!"

Erica frowned. "What?"

"Bowls. Sink."

Boyd was the first to wash out his bowl and put it in the sink. Rolling their eyes, the other two followed his example. As soon as they were out of the kitchen, Crystal glanced at Derek. "What happened last night?"

"I'll tell you later."

Her hand instinctively went to her necklace. She was still amazed that it was there, that Derek had actually given it back.

He glanced down at the necklace. "Don't let the Argents see that."

* * *

"Scott!"

Scott flinched violently when he heard Crystal's voice. Great. Now she was gonna know something was up. He turned and smiled. "Hey, Crystal."

Her eyes narrowed. He noticed they were mostly dark green right now. "What's going on?" Suspicion wafted off her.

"You startled me." It was true, but it wasn't the whole truth.

She shook her head. "You've got to work on that," she muttered and looked around the hallway. "Where's Stiles today?"

"Oh, uh, I think he said he was gonna do some more research."

"Uh huh." She stared at him for a full minute, waiting to see if he would crack. It was obvious she didn't believe him, but he kept a slight smile on his face as he pulled his Chemistry book out of his locker. "What happened last night?"

Scott was glad that she'd sort of changed the subject. "You aren't gonna like it," he warned, knowing that if he didn't tell her about Danny she'd be even more suspicious.

"Hit me."

He quickly summed up the chase, finding the kanima at Jungle, and the attack. They had just sat down at a lab table when he told her that Danny was the target.

"What?" she nearly screeched. She covered her mouth at the last second so only the people closest to them turned their way.

"He's fine," he assured her. "He's at the hospital for observation. I'm going to talk to him later."

"That doesn't make sense. Why would Jackson attack his best friend?"

"Why would he attack you?"

She practically scoffed. "He hates me. It's not a big surprise. Besides, we already know who he goes after."

"Hey," he said firmly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You aren't a killer." He blinked as he noticed a chain around her neck, disappearing underneath her shirt. "What's that?"

"My necklace. Derek gave it back," she whispered happily.

Scott's mouth dropped open. "He what? That's great! But why?"

"I don't know, but I'm not questioning it."

Erica and Isaac sauntered in at the last possible second, taking the empty desk in front of Scott and Crystal. Harris stood up as soon as the bell rang, and the room fell silent.

"Did Derek enjoy his thank you?" Erica taunted.

"Well, he didn't shove me off him, so I'd say yeah," Crystal retorted.

Glancing over her shoulder, Erica's eyes flashed gold. Crystal merely chuckled and turned her attention to the board.

Scott gaped at his sister. "What?"

"I hugged Derek this morning. Erica's reading too much into it," she muttered.

"Oh, it wasn't hard," Isaac whispered. "She flew into the room and practically crushed him to death. I was half expecting her to plant one on him right there."

"Do you think Derek was disappointed?" Erica asked.

"I think Derek told you to mind your own business." Crystal raised her eyebrows at the two of them.

Before Scott could say anything, the intercom buzzed. "Mr. Harris, could you send Crystal Braddock to the principal's office?"

Scott's heart jumped in panic. He knew that voice. Crystal was half out of her seat before Harris spoke. "She's on her way." The Chemistry teacher sounded irritated at the disruption, even though class had barely even started.

Scott grabbed Crystal's sleeve before she could leave. "Be careful."

She nodded seriously. "Around them, always."

The moment the door swung closed behind her, the room broke into chatter, everyone wondering why Crystal was called to the principal's office by someone other than the secretary. While Harris was getting them to quiet down, Isaac looked over his shoulder. "Who was that?"

"Chris Argent," Erica answered. Scott recalled she'd been there when Crystal called Mr. Argent after the pool incident. "What do the hunters want with her?"

"I think they know exactly what it is they're hunting," Scott whispered. "They just need her to tell them who."

* * *

Crystal passed Allison on the way to the principal's office. "What did they want with you?" she asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Allison scowled at her but reluctantly replied. "They wanted to know where Jackson is."

Well, that wasn't what she'd expected at all. "What?"

"Jackson's missing. His parents called the police, and Gerard thinks Scott had something to do with it."

"Uh…" That just confused her even more. Would Scott really kidnap Jackson? "Okay, thanks."

_Think about it later,_ Peter's voice whispered in her ear as Allison left. _If you know anything, if you even _suspect _anything, he'll know._

Her breath caught. She spun around, desperately hoping she wasn't imagining his voice. After all, Lydia had told her that Peter could only talk to her when she had her necklace. "Peter?" she mouthed.

Something brushed her forehead. _Focus on what's in front of you. Gerard is too dangerous for you to be distracted._

_But Chris will be there, _she thought, moving forward again.

_And he won't be able to help you much if Gerard thinks you know something._

_How do you know Gerard Argent?_

_Let's just say we have a history, _he bit out.

She wasn't going to get any more answers out of Peter right now—if it was really him. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the reception area. Chris, his wife, and Gerard all stood in front of her.

"Miss Braddock," Gerard said genially. "Do come in."

She knew it was all an act. There was nothing warm or welcoming about this snake. "What's this about?" she asked, being very careful not to show a hint of fear.

"You're not in trouble," Chris told her. His cold, gruff tone negated his words, but it also reminded her that she had someone who cared about her at least a little bit in a room full of hunters ready to kill her friends first and ask questions later.

Gerard led the way into his commandeered office, leaving his back to her and proving that she didn't scare him. Chris was right behind her. He closed the door and leaned against the wall next to it with his arms crossed. The message was blatantly obvious: she wasn't getting out of there unless they let her.

She slid into the chair across from Gerard, dropping her backpack on the ground next to her.

"How have you been lately?" Gerard asked, trying to throw her.

"Not too bad," she answered. Short and sweet. Hopefully she'd be out soon, because she didn't know how long she could keep the act up.

_You'll keep it up for as long as you have to, _Peter's voice snapped.

"Hmm." Gerard shook his head in a mockery of disappointment. "That's not what I've heard."

He was waiting for her to take the bait. Well, he was going to be waiting for a long time, because she had no intention of telling him—

"I heard that you were attacked by the same creature we're hunting." He leaned forward. "I also heard that the Alpha, Derek Hale, revoked your pack friend status."

Son of a bitch, where did he hear that last bit? Her fists clenched involuntarily. Unfortunately, Gerard's sharp eyes caught the movement. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

Crystal put all her energy into turning her face into a blank mask and calming her heartbeat, instead of hurting Gerard like she so badly wanted to.

Gerard rose and came around the desk. "And yet somehow, Derek Hale managed to put his hatred for you aside and rescue you from the same creature we've been hunting."

Crystal felt like she was the one being hunted. Her heart was pounding frantically like a trapped rabbit's.

"I'm curious. Why did the creature attack you?"

"Why do you think it attacked me?" she rebutted.

He chuckled. "Personally, I think it's because it hates you. But it left you alive, when all its other victims ended up dead."

He fell silent, waiting for her to respond. If she didn't say something, she'd never get out of there. "Why am I here?"

"You know why." Gerard leaned forward. "You know things about this creature that we don't. You know who it is. We want you to tell us."

Anger surged through her veins. "Even if I knew _anything_ about this…thing, whatever it is, I wouldn't help you."

Gerard sighed heavily, glancing at Chris. Obviously it was his turn to convince her.

"Crystal, we need your help. It's killed people. It almost killed you."

She didn't need the reminder. "Unfortunately, Mr. Argent, I can't help you."

"Can't or won't?"

"Both." She rose, keeping her eyes on Gerard as she picked up her backpack. "I heard the Argents have a code."

Chris nodded. "We hunt those who hunt us."

"Mm. I think you need to change it. How do you translate, 'we shoot first and worry about the innocent later'?"

"No one is truly innocent," Gerard said.

She laughed coldly. "Children are." She pulled out her phone and flipped to her photo gallery, opening a picture that she'd recently added. Zooming in on two faces, she held the phone over her shoulder so Chris could see. "Helena and Heather. They were four year old twins who were visiting for Christmas when your daughter and her little band of merry men set fire to the Hale house. My dad died trying to get them out." Peter burned trying to get them out. Her throat tightened, but she would not cry in front of this heartless monster. "Your daughter killed them, and something tells me you knew about it." Gerard barely twitched at her accusation. Hell, it was like talking to a brick wall. "But you didn't care. You still don't care that some people can't help what they are. All you see are targets." She pocketed her phone. "And _that _is why I'm willing to let a dangerous creature run around Beacon Hills. Away from you."

Chris held the door open for her silently. His face was expressionless, but his eyes were haunted. She smiled slightly, letting him know she didn't blame him. "Goodbye, Mr. Argent."

* * *

_You lost it in there._

She pulled her necklace out from under her shirt and gripped it tightly. "I know. I'm sorry."

_I'm not surprised. He knows just which buttons to push. Granted, your reaction might have been unexpected. _

"I didn't give him anything he wanted, did I?"

_That depends on what he wanted from you. If he wanted the kanima's name, no. But I'm almost positive that he knows you know something. He also might use you as bait for Derek or Scott._

A whine escaped her. "Peter, I'm scared," she admitted.

_And you should be. Gerard Argent is one of the most dangerous beings you can ever have the misfortune to come across._

She shook her head furiously. "No, it's not just that. I mean, yeah, he terrifies me, but it's everything else. It's the kanima and the hunters and Scott and Stiles and Derek and his pack and Melissa and Lydia and you—there's so much happening at once. I don't know if I can handle it all."

_That's life_. Even though the words were harsh, she could picture him kneeling in front of her. She could almost feel his hand on hers. _You'll deal with it because that's what you do. Sometimes you have to play more than one game at a time._

"And sometimes you have puzzle pieces that don't belong to the puzzle in front of you; it's one you haven't even started yet," she continued. "Pretty sure you've told me this before."

_Well, you can hear it again._

She laughed sadly. "You know, you're not as much of a self-centered dick as everyone else believes."

_Only with you, Crystal._

And that was the problem.


	21. Arrested Development

**Disclaimer. Also borrowed the title of this chapter from a TV sitcom.**

* * *

"And you're positive nothing happened between you and Jackson?"

Danny shrugged his shirt over his head. "Not that I know." He picked up his wallet and opened it. "Did the cops have to take my fake ID?"

"Of course. If Sheriff Stilinski lets you keep yours, then Stiles will think it's okay for him to carry one," Crystal told him.

"You didn't do anything to make him angry?" Scott asked.

Crystal scoffed. "How angry? On a good day he's ready to twist your arm behind your back."

Danny nodded. "Look, he wasn't angry with me. I was actually doing him a favor."

"Wait, what?"

"What kind of favor?" Scott leaned forward eagerly.

"I was recovering a video for him. It's on my tablet." Danny sighed. "Which is in my car, and that's probably still at the club."

"I can give you a lift," Crystal offered.

"Thanks."

"What was on the video?" Scott wondered.

The question made Danny uncomfortable. "I'm not supposed to say."

"What if I told you it was really important, like life or death important?"

Danny shook his head. Crystal smirked. "What if he got you your fake ID back?"

"Jackson's my friend. I don't think he'd appreciate me telling you."

"Which is why you don't tell him. Just…when we get to your car, let me borrow your tablet for a few minutes to check my email."

Danny sighed but nodded. "Only if I get my fake ID back."

She laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Danny, you're awesome."

They decided to drive Danny to the club to pick up his car and see the video. But when they got there, they found that Danny's trunk had been tampered with. Crystal and Scott looked at each other warily before Scott flipped the trunk open all the way. Danny searched frantically before slamming the trunk with a surprisingly loud, "Damn it!"

"Your tablet's the only thing that's missing, right?" Scott asked. A quick double-check proved that the tablet was indeed the only thing that had been taken.

"Was there anything else on the tablet besides the video?" Crystal wondered.

Danny shook his head. "Personal stuff, mostly."

She glanced up in frustration. Then she smiled. "Come on."

"Where are we going?"

She pointed up at the security camera on the wall. "Maybe we can find out who broke into Danny's car."

* * *

"Nothing," Greg told them.

"Nothing?" they echoed.

He shook his head. "The car was in a blind spot and the camera went down for about six minutes."

Crystal turned to Scott. "Who would want to steal Danny's tablet?"

"What if Jackson took it before he attacked Danny?" Scott muttered.

"No, that doesn't make sense. Jackson _wanted _the video. It's like whoever took the tablet didn't want _anyone_ to see it."

"That could mean someone's protecting him."

She scoffed. "But why would they care?"

Danny and Greg came over, forcing them to cut their conversation short. "I'm gonna head home."

"Yeah, we should get going too." Crystal hugged Danny goodbye and led the way to her car. "Bye, Greg!"

Scott frowned when she turned down a familiar road—one that _didn't_ lead home. "Where are we going?"

"To see is Stiles found anything and to let him know about the tablet."

"Uh, well, see, we can't." He had to scramble for an excuse when she glanced over at him with raised eyebrows. Was it just him, or did he catch a whiff of suspicion? "He—he's not at home. He texted me earlier, said he was going to the library."

"Scott, you've been acting suspiciously jumpy whenever I mention Stiles today." She pulled the car onto the side of the road. "What's really going on?"

"Nothing!" he insisted.

She wasn't buying it. "Scott," she warned.

He moaned. They were dead. "I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?"

"Look, Crystal, just trust me—we're trying to protect you."

"Scott, I may not act like it, but I'm the adult! I'm supposed to be protecting you!" She rested her head against the steering wheel. "Does it have anything to do with Jackson being missing?" she asked abruptly.

He cringed. "Maybe?" Her anger surged, filling the car and making it hard to breathe. Instinct told him to stay very still and not draw her attention. "How angry are you?"

"On a scale of one to dead? I'm debating whether I should ask Derek to turn you and Stiles into dog food, or just wring your idiotic necks myself." Oh. So, either way, they were toast. She took a deep breath and her anger slowly receded. A sweet, menacing smile stretched across her lips. "What happened, Scott? And don't leave out a single detail."

* * *

Scott walked over to Allison and wrapped her in a hug. When he lifted his head, Stiles saw his conflicted expression. A chill ran down Stiles's spine. "What's wrong?"

"Crystal knows."

"_What!_" He could feel the blood draining from his face. The chill grew stronger, and he practically shivered. It felt like someone just walked over his grave. Well, if he had a grave. Which he would, and very soon, when Crystal got hold of them.

"What do you mean, she knows?" Allison slid her hand into Scott's. "How did she find out?"

"How mad is she?" Stiles added.

"She found out about Jackson. She made me tell her everything, and she didn't yell at me as much as I thought she would."

Oh, sh—

"She isn't going to the police, is she?" Allison asked warily.

"On a scale of one to ten, _how angry is she_?" Stiles repeated.

"What's one and what's ten?"

"One is we're only gonna get slightly mutilated and then turned over to our parents, ten is she's gonna ask Derek to turn me into puppy chow, hand you over to Gerard, and skin Allison alive herself."

Scott winced. "Uh…did I mention she didn't yell at me that much?"

"Dude, we are _so _dead. Where is she?"

The passenger door popped open, whacking Stiles in the back. The voice of death spoke. "Hello, Stiles."

Stiles let out a very manly screech and tripped over his feet, sending him to the cold forest floor with a thud. The words _drama queen _floated irrelevantly through his brain. "Crystal! Ho—how did you—"

"Find you?" she finished. "Oh, it wasn't that hard since I was following a werewolf." She smiled, flashing her teeth, and Stiles had a vision of her teeth growing into fangs and sinking into his throat. She hopped to the ground lightly. From the corner of his eye, he saw Allison shoot Scott a frown. Crystal rolled her eyes. "Don't blame him. You honestly thought I wouldn't find out? I know these morons too well."

Stiles immediately started to protest at being called a moron, but she shot him a death glare that shut him up. She turned back to Allison. "Just be glad I'm not telling your father."

Allison paled.

"Crystal, please—"

She cut Scott off. "You already explained. I get it. I just have one little question." She held out her hand. Cautiously, Stiles took it. She pulled him to his feet, but then she dug her nails in his arm. "What the _hell _were you thinking? You have completely lost what is left of your mind!"

"Ow, ow, ow!" he gasped. She scoffed but released him. He checked his arm. There were crescent shaped marks from her nails, but no blood. "You almost ripped my arm off!"

"Be glad I didn't _really _rip it off." She spent the next five minutes shouting at them, finishing with, "You two are honestly some of the _stupidest _teenage boys I have ever had the misfortune to meet!"

"We didn't ask you to get involved," Allison retorted.

"We were trying to keep _either _of you from getting involved," Stiles reminded her. "And what could we do, let a homicidal lizard run around Beacon Hills? Let him run into my dad or Scott's mom?"

Crystal groaned. "You had decent intentions, but you have no idea how bad this could get. What's gonna happen after Jackson tells his dad what you did?"

"He's not—"

"Yes, he will," she snapped, cutting Scott off. "You didn't kill him; you can't babysit him forever. Eventually you'll let him go or he'll break out. And he's gonna go straight to his dad—who, by the way, I'm pretty sure is a lawyer—and the police and you are going to be in _so _much trouble. You could get arrested for this, guys."

Stiles pictured his dad slapping handcuffs on him and winced. "Well, it was all I could think of to keep him from killing people."

"No, you didn't _think_. Your dad's the sheriff, Stiles. If you get arrested—hell, if you get _caught—_you won't be the only one in trouble."

A wave of guilt threatened to choke him. He hadn't even thought about his dad. How much trouble would this get him in?

Crystal groaned and muttered under her breath. After seven minutes and four and a half seconds of tense silence from him, Scott and Allison (yes, he counted), the last traces of anger faded from her expression. "If I get sent to jail for helping you dumbasses, you're paying my bail money and I'll let Derek skin you alive. So let's not get caught, okay?"

"Wait, what?" She was actually going along with this? Who was this creature, and what had she done with Crystal?

"No," Scott protested. Stiles shook his head in agreement. "You can't do this."

"Too late. Now, have you told them about the tablet?"

* * *

Jackson spoke the instant she climbed into the back of the transport van. "Go away."

Crystal took in his hunched shoulders, his defeated expression, and his averted eyes. "You heard." It wasn't a question. He didn't answer. "Scott thinks you can be saved."

"What about you?"

"I hold grudges. But I don't think the kanima's a mindless beast," she admitted. She felt a little bad for Jackson, and that thought gave her a horrible taste in her mouth. He was an ass who had treated Scott and Stiles horribly and hurt Lydia; he shouldn't deserve her sympathy. But he looked so lost, even though he tried to hide it. She remembered seeing that same face in the mirror. "There's something bigger going on. We need to figure out what it is."

"And then?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it." She tossed him a turkey sandwich. He caught it with both hands. "Here. Now you can tell your dad we didn't starve you," she said wryly.

"You'll be arrested for helping them." He glared at her. "My dad's a lawyer. He'll make sure of it."

_And _there's _the Jackson I remember. _Her sympathy for him died a quick, sudden death. "Oh, please. This is all just a harmless teenage prank." She pouted mockingly at him. "All the boys really did was leave you in the back of a police van. You'll be back in your rich boy bed by tomorrow night." She grinned. "If it were me, I'd have done something more public, and way more embarrassing."

"Like what?"

Her grin widened. "Let's just say payback's a bitch." She'd leave his imagination to come up with a few suitable scenarios. She climbed out of the van and turned to Scott and Stiles. "Scott, don't you have to get to Deaton's?"

"Yeah, but—"

"Stiles and Allison can watch Jackson until you're done with work. They've been doing it practically all day."

He turned to the other two. "Call me if anything happens."

"We will," they promised. Crystal had to look away when Allison gave him a kiss. She wrapped Stiles in a hug.

"Be careful."

"Why are you helping us?"

_That's a very good question, _Peter scoffed.

"Because you're pack," she said firmly. "And pack protects its own."

_I'm pretty sure that's Laura's line. _

_Well, she never said I couldn't use it, _she retorted, mentally sticking out her tongue.

"What about Derek?"

"Scott, let's go," she called, blatantly avoiding the question. "Make sure you guys turn your phones off. I'll pick up a couple of burner phones later."

* * *

After she dropped Scott off at the vet's office with the newly purchased burner phones, she sat in the car trying to delay her next trip. She had spent the whole ride to the preserve and the trek through the woods trying to come up with a plan that wouldn't end in all of them rotting in jail. As much as she'd like to let them learn a lesson, Scott and Stiles getting arrested would only create more problems. They wouldn't be able to figure out practically anything about Jackson's mystery "friend", and Scott would be easy pickings for Gerard. Plus, how would it look if Sheriff Stilinski had to arrest his own son?

"You care too much."

She nearly jumped out of her skin. Peter sat in the passenger seat, looking perfectly healthy. "P-Peter?"

"No, I'm Casper," he mocked.

"You're real?"

"-Ish."

She reached out and brushed his arm. She flinched back when she felt fabric, but it wasn't fabric like she was used to feeling. It was…the only word she could think of was muted. It was there, but it wasn't. "This is just too weird."

"You live with a werewolf, but seeing a dead man creeps you out?" He leaned forward before she could even attempt to answer that question. "Why are you helping those two morons?"

"Because," she said.

"That's not an answer."

She squeezed her eyes shut. Damn, she forgot that Peter was persistent when he wanted something. "Because if I don't, they'll be in serious trouble when they get caught."

He laughed. "It's interesting that you're willing to help them even though you know their plan's going to backfire."

"Well, I'm not just going to abandon them, Peter."

His shrewd eyes narrowed. "You love them that much?"

"You really have to ask?" She started the car and drove, nerves fluttering in her stomach.

"If you get arrested for them, I'll kill them."

"No you won't. You're dead." She sent him a skeptical look. "I think."

"Well…" He trailed off, a devious smirk on his lips.

"Forget it," she huffed.

"You might want to call Taylor."

"Already done. She'll be here in a couple hours."

The car was quiet for several minutes before Crystal broke it. "All right, this has been bugging me for a while. You're supposed to be dead, so how could Lydia see you? And why can I?" She sent a side glare at him. "I'm still _really _pissed about that, by the way."

"Are you jealous?"

"First, you should have come to me. Second, you should have left Lydia alone to begin with," she spat.

"Well, I had to have a backup plan. Good thing I did, too. How long did it take you to lose the necklace?"

"I didn't _lose _it. Derek took it. And he gave it back, didn't he? Now, mind explaining why you were haunting Lydia? And how you're _here_?"

Peter tilted his head to the side, thinking. "Not really."

She slammed on the brakes as she reached a stop light. "Peter!" She reached over to punch him—

But he was gone.

She snarled under her breath. "God, if you weren't already dead, I'd strangle you."

A ghostly laugh echoed in the car. She shivered. _Go see the sheriff. I'll see you later._

"And I'd better get some answers," she muttered darkly.

* * *

John's day had gone downhill from the moment David Whittemore stepped into his office. When Crystal walked into the building, he had a bad feeling it was about to get a hell of a lot worse.

"Just a moment," he said, cutting off Mr. Whittemore in the middle of another tirade. He all but dragged Crystal into his office. "Excuse us." Crystal bit back a snicker when he closed the door in Mr. Whittemore's face. He sat behind his desk, exhausted. "Please tell me you know where Jackson is."

She smiled sympathetically. "Is he just as bad as his son?"

"Probably worse. He's a lawyer."

"Damn it," she sighed. She dropped into the first chair she saw. "This is awkward."

John's internal alarms went off. "Crystal?" he asked warily.

"I know where Jackson is, and I can't tell you," she said before he could do more than open his mouth.

"Damn it, Crystal," he hissed, almost at the end of his rope. "Why not?" A strong suspicion churned in his gut.

"Stiles is involved," she admitted.

He groaned. Of _course_ his son was involved. "Why?" he moaned.

"It was just meant to be a stupid prank. Unfortunately Stiles doesn't always think things through."

"A prank? A _prank_?" John leaned over the desk. "He and Scott swiped a police transport van and kidnapped someone for a _prank_?" His son was dead when he got his hands on him.

"I never said Scott was involved."

"You didn't have to. Stiles always manages to drag Scott into things." John rose, feeling like a thousand-pound weight had just been dropped on his shoulders. "Sheriff?"

"I have to tell Mr. Whittemore."

He didn't want to; his every parental instinct wanted to protect his son, but he was also a cop. He had to uphold the law. Even if his son was the one in trouble.

"Sheriff, no." Crystal grabbed his wrist before he touched the doorknob. "He'll try to send Stiles and Scott to jail."

"And maybe they _should _spend a couple nights in a jail cell," he barked. "It might just teach them a lesson."

"You don't mean that."

He pulled the door open.

* * *

Crystal remained silent as Jackson's father raged. He could threaten her all he liked; she wasn't saying a word to him until Taylor got there. She barely even flinched as he got right in her face.

"All right, that's enough," Sheriff Stilinski said.

Whittemore rounded on him. "Your son kidnapped mine, Sheriff. If I were you, I'd think very carefully about what I'd do next."

Her protectiveness flared, and she broke her promise to stay silent. "You can't blame him for something his son did!"

Before Whittemore had a chance to respond, Greg stuck his head in. "Crystal's lawyer's here."

"Send her in."

Crystal smirked when Taylor walked in and Whittemore's glare deepened. Taylor was somewhere in her forties and had light brown skin, brown eyes, and thick black hair that was pinned back out of her face. She was an inch or two taller than Crystal in her heels, which put her about a head shorter than Whittemore. When she saw the other lawyer, she barely twitched. "David. John. I'd like to speak with my client alone, please."

"Right this way." Sheriff Stilinski led them down the hall to a barely-used conference room.

As soon as the door closed behind him, Taylor sighed. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

Crystal smiled sheepishly at her family's lawyer. "It's really complicated. If it helps, I didn't find out about any of this until a few hours ago."

"Not really. It makes you an accessory after the fact. David's going to try to get you arrested."

"But you won't let that happen, will you?" When Stiles and Scott said it, it didn't worry her. But when her lawyer put it so matter-of-factly, it worried her more than she cared to admit.

"I'll do my best not to."

That was one of the things she liked about Taylor. She never made false promises to her clients. If she said she could get something done, she'd get it done. She'd tell you straight up if something was hopeless. Since she promised to do her best, Taylor would do her damndest to make sure Crystal didn't spend the next twenty-five years or more withering away in a cramped cell. "What about Scott and Stiles?"

"I'm here to help you."

"Can you help them too?"

A scowl twisted her face. "Why should I?"

"Three reasons: one, I care about them and I don't want to see them in jail. Two, because you could stick it to Whittemore."

Taylor shot her a skeptical look. "That's not a very good reason."

"But it's satisfying." Crystal smiled innocently. "And third, how do you think a werewolf would do in jail?"

Taylor leaned forward, voice dropping. "One of them's a werewolf?"

Crystal nodded. "Scott."

Taylor rubbed her temples. "You know what, I don't want to know. Let's just worry about you for now, and later we'll worry about your friends."

"Taylor." Crystal waited until her lawyer looked up warily. "You're a lifesaver. Thank you," she said sincerely.

Taylor half smiled. "Let's figure this out. Tell me everything you know about the so-called prank on Jackson Whittemore."

* * *

It was late. Or early, depending on who you asked. The morning light was just starting to shine through the one tiny window in the room. She couldn't get an exact time; her phone had been taken, and she didn't own a watch. Now she was pacing back and forth in her little holding cell, the same one Derek sat in when he was charged with Laura's murder.

Crystal kept trying to fall asleep on the lumpy cot, but she couldn't get comfortable.

"Told you those boys would get you arrested."

She scowled, not bothering to open her eyes. "Oh, _now _you decide to show up. Where were you a few hours ago?" When Peter didn't answer, her eyes snapped open. "Peter, if I find out you're still haunting Lydia—"

"Haunting is such a harsh word," he replied. "But no, I haven't been talking to Lydia."

"Good." She pushed herself up into a sitting position. "Now _how the hell can I see you_?"

Peter smirked. "On one condition. I answer your questions, and you help me."

"You answer _all _of my questions to the best of your ability, and then tell me what you want, and I'll think about it," she retorted.

His smirk morphed into a small smile. "You're growing a spine." She just raised her eyebrows, choosing not to get distracted. "Fine. I'll tell you what I need, and then I'll answer your questions as best I can."

Knowing Peter, that was the best offer she was going to get. "And no avoiding the questions, either. And if someone comes in it won't mean the conversation's over," she added hurriedly, suddenly paranoid that she'd never get the answers she wanted if someone walked in.

He laughed. Her heart soared at the genuine pleasure it held; when was the last time she'd heard _anyone _laugh like that? It took her back to the times she ran through the yard shrieking with laughter as her dad chased her, to when she finally learned to ride a bike, to summer days and sleepovers. "You have a deal."

"Good. Now what do you need?"

"I need you to help bring me back to life."

It took her a minute to process his request, and even then she still had to ask, just to make sure she heard him correctly. "What?"

"I. Need you. To help me. Come. Back. To. Life."

"That's _possible_?" she practically screeched, leaping up off the cot. She took a deep breath to slow her now-pounding heart. "How?"

"The Worm Moon. If you channel the full moon's light into my body and I absorb an Alpha's blood, I'll be alive again."

An Alpha... "But we'd need Derek for that."

"Yes."

She scoffed. "There's no way in hell he'd help you. He's the one who killed you in the first place."

"I never said you had to ask him."

_Take Derek's blood by force? But we only just became friends again! _She looked down, conflicted. Peter saw this.

"Well, it's a good thing I have the Martin girl to help me out."

"No," Crystal said coldly. "I'll help you, but _only _if you leave Lydia and the rest of my friends alone. If you hurt them physically, emotionally, or mentally, I'll go straight to Chris and Derek and tell them what's going on."

Peter narrowed his eyes. "What's to stop me from getting Miss Martin involved?"

"We both know damn well that you love me too much to see me hurt. Hurting any of my friends hurts me."

His eyes turned ice blue. Crystal's heart skipped a beat, but she refused to back down. She cared about Lydia too much to let her be used as a pawn. Peter had already put Lydia through enough. "You didn't care when I wanted to rip the Argents to shreds," he purred.

"I said Kate needed to die," she corrected. "I didn't care about her. But I _do _care about my friends. Lydia, Scott, Stiles, Chris, Derek and his pack." Her voice dropped. "You." She pleaded with her eyes. _Don't make me choose._

Just when she thought he was about to snap, his eyes shifted back to their normal blue. "I'll stay away from your friends for now."

"You won't hurt someone else to get to them?" she verified, ignoring the caveat. It was Beacon Hills, and her friends were all involved with the supernatural somehow; eventually one of them would come across Peter again.

"I believe you said physically, emotionally, or mentally. As much as I'd like to, that means hurting their loved ones would hurt them." _And that would hurt you._

She wondered if she was meant to hear that last bit. She sighed in relief, her heart returning to a normal pace. "Thank you, Peter."

Peter would have said more, but the door opened. Crystal glanced over to see Sheriff Stilinski walk in, keys in hand. By the time she looked back to Peter, he was gone.

"Come on." The sheriff looked like he had aged in the few hours since she last saw him. Guilt flooded her.

She stretched as soon as she was free of the confining cell. "What time is it?"

"Almost six in the morning."

"Have you been here all night?"

"Well, yeah," he replied dryly. "You don't get much sleep when you're trying to convince someone not to send two teenagers and a young woman to jail."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you in more trouble."

He just grunted. He didn't say a word until they stepped into his office. She expected to see Taylor and Whittemore there. The newest edition to the group brought her up short, although she really shouldn't have been surprised. She sneered at him when he shot her a nasty smirk.

Sheriff Stilinski tossed her cell phone her way. "Call Scott and Stiles." His tone brooked no room for argument. Crystal still glanced at Taylor for confirmation. When her lawyer nodded, she called Stiles, forced to ignore the two voicemails and eleven texts from Lydia.

"Crystal, he's gone," were the first words out of Stiles's mouth.

"You and Scott need to get to the station right now."

"Is my dad okay? Did something happen?"

"Yeah. Jackson's here."

"Wait, he's not—"

"Get over here before I wipe the smirk off his face." She hung up and Taylor immediately took her phone away again. "I need to text Lydia back really quick," she pleaded.

Taylor rolled her eyes but handed it back. "One minute."

Crystal hurriedly tapped out a message to Lydia: **Hey Lydia, sorry I just got your messages. I can't talk right now but I'll talk to you as soon as I can. Sorry!**

She sent it and relinquished her phone again. Annoyed at losing her only distraction, she sprawled in a chair that was much comfier than her cell cot. She closed her eyes, but she could feel several pairs of eyes on her. The room was silent for several agonizing minutes before she broke it. "I wasn't kidding, Jackass," she said darkly. "So look away before I get _really _pissed."

"Crystal," Taylor and the sheriff warned.

She nearly upended the chair when she got up. "Look, I get that I'm in trouble—"

"More than that, Miss Braddock," Jackson's father chimed in.

She clenched her fists but managed to ignore him with herculean effort. "—but do I _really _need to be in the same room as him right now?"

Taylor sighed and looked at the sheriff. They leaned in and had a hushed conversation, which Crystal did her best to eavesdrop on but could only catch a few words of. Taylor waved her to the door. "Ten minutes, and I'm accompanying you."

"Great!" She didn't care that she would have a shadow; she just wanted to get away from Jackson's smugness. She made a beeline for the small bathroom. Taylor waited for her by the sink. When Crystal couldn't put it off any longer, she asked, "How bad is it?"

"Well, we managed to talk David out of pressing charges." Taylor raised her eyebrows when Crystal sighed. "That's probably the only good news."

"Oh." She wondered just how bad it would get. But nothing could be as bad as wasting away in a jail cell, right?

_Wrong_, she realized the moment Taylor started listing off all the bad news. Whittemore was filing for a restraining order for his son against her, Scott, and Stiles; Crystal was sentenced to seventy-five hours of community service and two weeks of counseling; and she would have to check in with Sheriff Stilinski or his deputy every day.

"Is that it?" she said weakly when Taylor finally finished.

"Oh, and John called Melissa."

Her heart literally stopped. "No," she moaned. "She's gonna _kill _me."

Taylor didn't look the least bit sympathetic. "Your ten minutes are up."

* * *

"Can you buzz us in?"

Scott walked as slowly as he could, dragging his heels on the way to the sheriff's office. "They're gonna kill us."

"I'm surprised they didn't meet us outside," Stiles muttered. "And why was Crystal even _here_?"

Scott shrugged, having a vague idea. "Maybe she just wanted to make sure your dad knew Jackson was all right."

"But why? I mean, Jackson's a douche. She hates him. No way she'd go out of her way to tell my dad that he's okay."

"Well, she also didn't want _us _to get in trouble," Scott reminded his best friend. "Maybe she thought that, by telling your dad, then things might just calm down?"

Stiles looked down at the doorknob like it would bite him. Scott could smell his nerves; he could also smell the emotions wafting through the door from Stiles's dad (anger, disappointment, and exhaustion), Jackson (self-righteous satisfaction with a hint of annoyance), and a third person (anger, impatience, traces of worry mixed with relief). When he focused, he caught the faint scents of Crystal and another person.

Crystal's scent grew stronger, but it was coming from a different direction. She smelled defeated, nervous, exhausted, annoyed and reluctant, all nearly overwhelmed by guilt. He turned to see her coming down the hallway with an older woman he vaguely recognized.

"Hey, guys." Crystal tried to muster up a smile and a wave, but he saw right through her. From the worried frown he shot her, so did Stiles. "Let's get this over with."

"How bad?" Scott asked.

"I've got community service, forced therapy sessions, I'm checking in with the sheriff every day, and we've all got a restraining order coming our way. Oh, and they called Melissa." Scott could feel the blood drain from his face. Stiles groaned softly. "I know." With that, Crystal opened the door, leading them to their doom.

"Scott. Stiles," the sheriff greeted them coolly. "I want you to meet Jackson's father, Mr. David Whittemore. Esquire."

Jackson leaned forward. "That means lawyer."


	22. Deal With The Devil

**Aggh! WHY must life get in the way of updates?**

**Now that that's done, I wanted to thank Lightningscar, Blak-Ice (my 100th reviewer), XxGrimShadowxX, and Lady Syndra for reviewing my last chapter. Also thank you to everyone who favorites and follows this story, and thanks EVERYONE for being patient with me while I take my sweet time posting these chapters.**

* * *

"What if it's like what happened with Lydia when she took off from the hospital?"

Crystal looked over to Scott and Stiles wearily from her position by the wall. She was so tired, but her brain just wouldn't shut up. Instead it decided to keep throwing everything from the last two days back in her face.

"You mean a fugue state?"

She barely even cared that Allison was on the speaker phone.

"He'd have to forget everything. The murders—"

"Getting rid of the blood."

"Attacking us in the pool," Crystal muttered. Scott glanced over at her with a frown. She shrugged. "I'm fine," she mouthed. Both of them knew she was lying, but Scott let it go for now.

"But he had to forget the video; someone else had to help him with that." Stiles was on a roll tonight. But it wasn't like he had anything better to do; they'd been sitting in this room for hours, waiting for a judge to approve Crystal's community service sentence. Since Scott was a minor, they had to wait some more for Melissa to come in after her shift at the hospital. After Sheriff Stilinski read the restraining order, maybe she could _finally _go home and get some sleep.

_You know, none of this would have happened if you had just left it alone._ She didn't know if it was Peter or her own conscience. She curled in on herself tighter, listening to the rest of the conversation silently.

"Are you absolutely sure Jackson has no clue what's going on?" Allison asked.

Stiles shook his head. Crystal couldn't see him, but she was pretty sure he threw in an eye roll for good measure. "He still thinks he's becoming a werewolf but somehow Lydia delayed his change."

"Can we try and convince him he's not?"

"Have you _met _Jackson?" Crystal dragged herself up and moved closer to the phone so Allison could hear her clearly. "He thinks he's always right, and he doesn't like or trust us anyways."

"We have to try," Scott said. "It might help us find out who's controlling him."

"Good luck getting him to talk to any of us, especially with the restraining orders."

"Wait, what? Restraining orders?" Allison repeated.

"Yeah," Stiles sighed. "It's a long story." The door opened and Taylor, the sheriff, and Melissa walked in. "Hey, uh, we gotta go. Talk to you later." He hung up before Allison could say another word.

"Let's go," Sheriff Stilinski said grimly. Crystal shared a look with the boys on either side of her and together they followed the sheriff down the hallway into the interrogation room, with Melissa and Taylor right behind them.

Jackson's father stood on one side of the table. Three hard metal chairs sat across from him. Crystal slid into the one closest to the door, too tired and guilty to bother dealing with the elder Whittemore. Scott took the middle seat, and Stiles plopped down in the third.

Taylor stood in front of them. "Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, Crystal Braddock. David Whittemore has issued a restraining order against you three on behalf of his son, Jackson. You will abide—"

Stiles leaned over and muttered something to Scott. Scott shrugged. Taylor went quiet until they both looked at her again. Crystal tried to tune the rest of it out, but she could hear every word: basically, they had to stay away from Jackson or they could get arrested. "Do you understand these conditions?"

"Yes," Crystal said.

Scott and Stiles echoed her response. Taylor moved to a spot behind them, and Sheriff Stilinski took her place. "You will not go within fifty feet of Jackson Whittemore. You will not speak to him. You will not approach him. You will not assault or harass him physically or psychologically."

What if he tried to assault or harass _them_? Crystal debated whether or not to ask, but ultimately decided it would be better to keep silent for now. They were already in enough trouble.

Stiles didn't stay quiet, but he raised a very valid point. "What about school?"

"You can attend classes while attempting to maintain a fifty-foot distance," his dad said.

At least this whole fiasco wouldn't hold her back _another _year. She nearly groaned in defeat when Stiles opened his mouth again.

"What if we both have to use the bathroom at the same time and there's only two stalls available and they're right next to each other?" At the look his dad shot him, a look Crystal really didn't want to see directed at her any time soon, Stiles shrunk back in his seat. "I'll just hold it," he muttered.

"Crystal." Everyone's attention focused solely on her now. "You've been sentenced to seventy-five hours of community service. You'll have the rest of this week to find a suitable position." At least he didn't use the word "job". "You are required to see a counselor every other day for two weeks. You are also required to check in with either me or my deputy every twenty-four hours." He dropped the clipboard on the table. "Any questions?"

"Does my school counselor qualify, or will I have to find someone else?" she asked, surprised at how meek her voice sounded.

"Miss Morrell is willing to fit you in to her schedule," Taylor said. Crystal looked at her with as much shock as she could muster. Her lawyer shrugged. "It's convenient."

"Okay. Thanks."

* * *

Scott and Stiles glanced at each other worriedly. They weren't used to seeing her like this; Stiles, at least, expected her to make a couple remarks about making sure Jackson stayed away from them. It was disconcerting, to say the least. And she didn't even try to shut him up when he asked about the bathroom! The guilt Stiles felt for getting his dad involved multiplied. Crystal shouldn't even _be _here. She should be at home or with Derek and his pack, not being forced into community service.

But she'd insisted on being involved, because Crystal would never let her friends get into this kind of situation alone.

"We're done here." Before Stiles could make a getaway, his dad dragged him out into the hallway. "Do you realize how lucky we are that they aren't pressing charges?"

"Oh, come on, Dad. It was a joke! I didn't think anyone would take it _that _seriously."

His dad's eyebrows furrowed. "_Really_?"

"Dad, humor's very subjective. Like, we're talking multiple levels of interpretation here." Stiles gestured wildly to demonstrate.

"Uh-huh."

"Uh-huh," he parroted.

"And how exactly am I supposed to _interpret _the stolen van?"

"We filled the tank!"

Scott and Melissa came out of the room. When Scott slowed down to talk to him, Melissa shoved him forward. "Move."

Stiles whirled to face the interrogation room just as Crystal and her lawyer walked out. His dad sighed. "Go home, Stiles."

But Stiles wasn't leaving just yet. He leaned against the wall next to Crystal and listened quietly to Melissa.

"I have to ground you. I'm grounding you. You are grounded." She pointed to Crystal. "Both of you." Crystal shrunk in on herself. Stiles brushed her shoulder. When she looked toward him, he held one arm out. She buried herself into his side.

"What about work?" Scott asked.

"Fine, other than work. And no TV."

"My TV's broken," Scott admitted.

"Then no computer."

"I need the computer for school."

Melissa was getting frustrated. "Then no…uh…" She glanced behind her and saw Stiles standing there. "No Stiles."

"What? No Stiles?" She couldn't keep his best friend away from him! He dropped his arm from around Crystal and stepped forward.

"No Stiles!" Melissa shouted firmly. Stiles skittered back. Maybe she could. "And no more car privileges. Give me your keys." When Scott didn't react fast enough, she shouted, "Give 'em to me!" Stiles couldn't remember seeing her this agitated in a long time, ever since her ex walked out on them.

Scott handed his keys to his mom, and she tried to get the car key off. "Oh, for the love of—"

"Mom, you want me—"

"_No_."

Next to him, Crystal sighed. "I'm sorry," she breathed. Stiles wrapped his arm around her shoulders again.

"Mom, just let me—Mom. Mom!" Scott brought his hands over hers, and Melissa wilted.

"What is going on with you? Is this about Allison?"

"Not everything's about Allison," Crystal muttered into Stiles's shoulder. He hurriedly shushed her. It was better than telling Melissa the truth.

"Do you really wanna know?" Scott asked. No! No, that's exactly what they _didn't _want. There was no way Melissa would understand, even if she believed them. Stiles shook his head frantically.

"Yeah." When Scott didn't answer, Melissa took a stab in the dark. "This is about your father, isn't it?"

Yes. They could work with that. Stiles nodded.

"Stop it," Crystal told him.

"Well, we can't exactly tell them the truth, now, can we?" he whispered in her ear.

She shrugged. "Guess not."

Melissa left to get the car, and Scott sighed. "I am the _worst _son ever."

"I know how you feel," Crystal said.

"But you're not a guy."

"You know what I mean."

Something caught Stiles's eye, and he pointed. "Well, I'm not winning any son-of-the-year awards, either."

Jackson's father was railing at his dad. Crystal's fist clenched in his sweatshirt and relaxed. "Let's go."

* * *

Taylor was waiting for her outside. Her stomach dropped. "Stiles, do you have your Jeep?"

"No, it's at the preserve."

"Okay. I'll—"

"Mom'll take him home," Scott said.

Crystal sighed in resignation but nodded. "Okay. See you guys later." She couldn't put it off any longer; she waved lightly at Taylor. "Hi. Thanks again, for everything you did in there."

Taylor frowned. "What have you gotten yourself wrapped up in?"

"I thought you said you didn't want to know." Her attempt at being a smartass was stilted at best. Taylor ignored it.

"What would your parents say if they were here?"

_That _stung. "I don't know. I'd like to think they'd be happy with me for standing up for my friends." That was wishful thinking on her part. If her parents were here…her dad would be _furious_. She'd be punished beyond anything the sheriff and Melissa could come up with. He would probably make her do every household chore in the book at least twice a week until she graduated, take away her car, ban her from seeing her friends outside of school, _and_ give her a curfew. Her mom might be a little more understanding, but would back Daniel every step of the way. Hell, she might even take things a step further and ban her from going over to the Hales' for a month. Crystal shuddered at the thought.

"I think they'd be disappointed in you."

Crystal reeled back. Taylor could have punched her in the chest, and it would have hurt less. What made it worse was the fact that Taylor wasn't yelling at all. "You don't know that."

"No. But I _do _know they didn't raise you to obstruct a police investigation, become an accessory to kidnapping, and keep secrets from adults."

"You—"

"You could have told Melissa everything from the moment Scott got bitten. You could have stayed out of things. You could have called Derek. Instead, you tried to handle things on your own, and now it's a mess. You're just lucky John, Melissa and I care enough about you three to keep you out of jail." She turned on her heel and walked away.

Crystal's eyes filled with tears, but she tried her best to blink them away. They snaked down her cheeks instead. "Thank you, Taylor. I'll send your check Monday."

She fumbled with her keys until she managed to unlock the door, then she threw herself into her car and drove. But she wasn't going home.

* * *

Her vision blurred as she sank to the cold ground. Her throat tightened and burned. She didn't know what to say. It had been _so damn long _since she'd been here last, and yet another wave of remorse washed over her. "I'm sorry." She cleared her throat and tried to think of something else to say. "I've been apologizing a lot tonight, haven't I? But, um, this time it's kinda—kinda necessary. I mean, I ha—" She inhaled sharply, trying to ease the ache in her chest. "I haven't exactly been the best daughter lately—I should have visited earlier." She looked down at her empty hands, then at the ground.

"God, I didn't even think to bring flowers! What kind of girl doesn't bring flowers?" Hot tears spilled down her cheeks as she spoke. "I mean, I know you wouldn't have liked them Dad, but Mom would have." She racked her brain, trying to remember her mom's favorite flower. "Camellias. I should have brought some of those. You always did think roses were over-done." She laughed wetly, the scenario running through her head. "Would they work, Mom? If I came home with a bunch of camellias, orange and yellow because those were your favorite colors and I'd know that you knew I screwed up but I'd still try to suck up before I got punished?" Her laughter turned to sobs. "But you, Daddy—you would be waiting up for me. I'd try to sneak in through my window—with Scott's help, of course, I'm not gonna try to scale that house on my own—and you'd be, I dunno, sitting on my bed or waiting downstairs, and the second I thought I was in the clear you'd be there. Would you—"

Her voice cracked. "Would you hate me?" The early spring air nipped at her face, searing the tears into her skin as the last words she ever said to her parents, the words she kept under lock and key and behind mental vaults the size of Fort Knox, broke free of their cage with a vengeance and rattled in her mind.

"_I hate you. Just go away! Leave me alone!"_

"I know I say it every time, but—I'm sorry. I miss you. I wi—wish I could take it back. I wish you were here." It was a good thing she was sitting down, otherwise her knees would have given out. Instead she curled into a tight ball, trying to catch her breath. "Come back," she whispered uselessly. They were dead. Even if they could come back, they would have done it years ago. They wouldn't have left their only daughter an orphan. And, as much as she'd like to be, she wasn't their little girl anymore. She'd grown up even though they never got to see it.

After she had run out of tears and her breathing grew steadier, she reached out and reverently traced her parents' names on the large gravestone. Her voice grew stronger and less childlike. "I screwed up tonight. I know that. I'll try to do better," she swore, glancing down the row at the headstones with other familiar names on them. "I'll try to keep them safe. All of them."

* * *

Crystal peered over Scott's shoulder to read Lydia's translation. "Ha!" she breathed, proud of herself and her friend. "That translation makes a lot more sense."

"Does it say how to find out who's controlling him?" Scott asked, either ignoring her or trying to break up a fight before it started.

"Not really," Allison said. "But Stiles was right about the murderers."

"Yes!" Stiles cheered, holding his hand up high. Crystal hit his palm with hers. _I was right, too,_ she thought petulantly.

"It calls the kanima a weapon of vengeance."

Stiles frowned. "So why did it go after Crystal?"

"Well, the story goes that a South American priest used the kanima to execute murderers in his village. Eventually the bond got strong enough that the kanima killed whoever he wanted it to," Allison explained. "So either the kanima master thinks Crystal's a killer—"

"Or he just wants me dead," Crystal sighed.

"It could be a she," Stiles protested.

"'He' can be used as a generic term," she reminded him.

"Then why do sailors always call ships 'she'?" Stiles stretched his mouth wide in a grimace, tongue out. "Try saying that five times fast."

"I dunno, go ask a sailor."

"Guys!" They both turned to Scott. "Focus, please."

"Sorry."

"Right. Does the translation say anything else?" Crystal asked, getting back to the problem at hand.

"The kanima's supposed to be a werewolf."

What? That doesn't—how?" How was a _kanima _supposed to be a _werewolf_? One was a reptile, the other a mammal, both two completely different species. It was like comparing a frog to a spider.

Scott pointed to a section on the tablet. "But it can't be 'until it resolves that in its past which manifested it'," he read.

"Well, if that means Jackson could use a few thousand hours of therapy, I could have told you that myself," Stiles muttered. Crystal nodded vigorously.

"What if it has something to do with his parents? I mean his real parents?" Allison mused.

"Yeah, does anyone know what actually happened to them?" Scott wondered.

Crystal shrugged.

Stiles's eyes lit up. "Lydia might."

"What if she doesn't know anything?" Scott asked his best friend.

"Well, he doesn't have a restraining order against me." Allison took the tablet back from Scott. "I'll talk to him."

"So what do Crystal and I do?"

"You have a make-up test," Allison reminded him.

Crystal shook her head in exasperation as they whispered to one another. "Seriously, how have they not gotten caught yet?" she muttered.

"If he does anything—anything weird, or bizarre—"

"Anything _evil_!" Stiles interjected, sticking his head between the bookshelves. Allison shoved his head back. "Ow!"

"You okay, Stiles?" Crystal asked, smiling at his wounded expression.

"I'm fine."

Scott's eyes suddenly took on a puppy dog quality. "Crystal, can you—"

"_No_," she and Allison said together. "Not alone," Crystal muttered. She might have promised to keep everyone safe, but she didn't think she could deal with Allison on her own just yet. Stiles looked at Scott like he'd gone crazy.

"Besides," Allison continued. "She has that session with Miss Morrell."

Crystal groaned loudly. "Thanks for the reminder."

Allison scowled at her. "She's not horrible."

"But it's the principle of the thing. She's literally my court-appointed therapist."

"Ooh, yeah. Remember how she acted around the last one?" Stiles shuddered.

"My dad made her go to a therapist," Scott told a confused Allison.

Crystal grimaced. "He was such an ass."

"Who, the therapist or McCall?" Stiles wondered.

"Both."

* * *

Crystal sighed in relief after she walked out of Miss Morrell's office. It wasn't as bad as she recalled, although she would never admit it. She wondered how Scott was doing on his test while being stuck with Harris for an hour. It probably wasn't very good; although, Scott did have a much better lid on his temper when it came to dealing with the asshole teacher than she ever could.

She rounded a corner near the locker rooms and nearly ran into Stiles and Erica, but neither of them seemed to notice her. Instead, they were staring at a puddle of water on the floor. An instant later Scott came sliding through the door. Jackson stepped out and tried to punch Scott in the face.

"Oh my—" Crystal leaped forward to help, but Stiles got a good hold on Scott and Erica held Jackson firmly. She saw Allison step out of the locker room and mentally rolled her eyes. Of _course _Allison was involved. "What happened?" she asked the hunter.

"Scott, Scott! Stop!" Stiles cried.

Drawn by the commotion, a teacher's voice interrupted them. "What the hell's going on?"

Crystal groaned out loud. "Come on, really?" she hissed. She could feel the beginnings of a headache coming on. Why did it have to be _him_? Why couldn't it have been Miss Morrell or even Finstock?

"Enough!" Harris's voice finally cut through Scott's rage, but Scott still glared hatefully at Jackson. "What do you idiots think you're doing? McCall, you wanna explain yourself?" When Scott didn't answer, he turned to Stiles. "Stilinski!"

Of course he didn't ask Jackson a damn thing, assuming (albeit correctly for a change) that Scott and/or Stiles started the fight. Crystal scowled and reached out to get Scott and Stiles out of the hall away from Jackson and Harris, but then Harris barked, "Braddock!"

She was saved from snapping at the teacher and earning detention for a month when a boy who looked vaguely familiar held out a tablet. "You dropped this."

Harris snatched it and pointed at Scott, Stiles and herself. "You three— actually, all of you." He gestured to include Erica, Jackson, Allison, and the boy who handed him the tablet. "Detention. Three o' clock." Seeing the anger on Crystal's face, Harris raised his eyebrows, and was it just her or was there a satisfied glint in his eyes? "Yes, Miss Braddock?"

Rage bubbled under her skin, and she had to clench both her fists tightly and bite her tongue until she could taste blood to keep from shouting about how unfair it was that she, Stiles, Erica and the boy were getting detention for just being there. It was Harris; since when did he care about fair?

Crystal didn't wait for him to finish issuing their punishment. Instead she spun on her heel and stormed into the first bathroom she saw, uncaring if anyone else was in there. She gripped both sides of the porcelain sink and let the blood drip out of her mouth, ignoring the pain in her tongue. As soon as the bleeding stopped she washed her mouth out. Normally she wouldn't have hesitated to snap at Harris, but she was walking a fine line as it was. To get detention thrown in on top of that was icing on the crap cake. "I _hate _him." Glancing in the mirror at her reflection she saw that her eyes were completely gold, not a speck of green in sight.

The door swung open and a familiar face peeked in. "Found her!"

"Stiles," she snapped more harshly than she intended. "This is the girls' bathroom. Get out."

"I'm not even in the room," he protested. "Besides, we were looking for you."

Cursing strongly, she followed him to an empty science lab. Scott and Allison were already there, Scott's arm around Allison's shoulder and her arm around his waist. "What the hell happened?"

"Jackson happened," Scott growled. "Did he hurt you?"

"What?" Crystal was confused before she remembered her trip to the bathroom. "Oh, no. I'm fine. Just bit my tongue. You?"

"I'll be all right."

Allison explained how Jackson threatened her in the locker room and the fight between Jackson and Scott.

"I hate him," Scott tacked on.

"I hate Harris," Stiles added. "I mean, he gave us detention for no reason!"

"Since when does Harris need a reason to do anything?"

"I hate them both," Crystal jumped in. "Are you sure we can't just kill them?"

"I'm with Crystal," Scott interjected. "Let's just kill Jackson."

"I thought we were gonna help him," Stiles reminded him.

"I changed my mind."

"Great! Can we feed Harris to Jackson first?" Crystal wondered.

Allison shook her head. "We never wanted Harris dead."

"Speak for yourself."

Stiles frowned and changed the subject abruptly. "Crystal, you're bleeding!" He gestured to her hands. Puzzled, she turned them over.

"Huh. I didn't even notice those," she mused as she stared at the crescent-shaped marks and the blood on her palms. "Thanks."

Scott went over to the sink, wet a paper towel, and brought it over. Instead of just handing it to her like she thought, he took her hands and gently washed the blood off. Nonplussed, Crystal allowed it. When he was done he threw one arm around her shoulders comfortingly. The faint pain from her tongue and hands faded. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, letting her brother support her.

Allison and Stiles glanced at each other, confused. Stiles shook his head when she opened her mouth. Turned out she didn't have to say anything. The bell rang, shattering the moment. Crystal's head jerked up.

"See you later." She pressed a kiss to Scott's cheek. As soon as she was gone, Allison shook her head.

"Is it just me, or is she acting stranger than usual?"

Stiles secretly agreed with her. Crystal had barely argued with Allison at all. He could have sworn she would blame Allison for being the catalyst for the fight, at the very least. But she didn't. She hadn't even argued when they told her they had to meet Allison in the library this morning—in fact, she had willingly come with them, with only a slight curl of her lips instead of her usual protests.

"I think she's just tired," Scott said.

They all accepted Scott's excuse, but none of them really believed it.

* * *

Harris led them all into the library. Stiles, Scott, and Crystal made a beeline for the first table they saw when Jackson spoke.

"Oh, we can't be in detention together. I have a restraining order against these tools."

"Well, why didn't you say something earlier, jackass?" Crystal muttered angrily but quietly enough that only he and Scott heard it. Scott glared at Jackson. Well, it seemed like Stiles would have to be the mature one today. Who would have thought?

"All of these tools?" Harris asked.

"No, just us tools." Stiles gestured to himself, Scott, and Crystal, even though technically the term didn't apply to her. She wiggled her fingers in a mocking wave.

Harris rolled his eyes. "Fine. You three, over there." He pointed to the desk farthest away from Jackson's, which, coincidentally, was closest to Harris.

Stiles steered Crystal and Scott over to the desk; both were sending their nastiest glares toward Jackson.

"I'm gonna kill him," Scott threatened again.

Stiles couldn't believe he was protecting Jackson, of all people, but he knew his best friend. If Scott killed Jackson, he would regret it for the rest of his life. "No," he said patiently. "You're gonna find out who's controlling him and you're gonna help save him."

"No. Let's just kill him."

Stiles looked exasperatedly at Crystal. "Any time you wanna help me out here."

"Not really."

"You're impossible." He looked away from them and saw Matt looking at something on the tablet. He frowned, his brain whirring as an idea popped into his head. "What if it's Matt?"

"Who?" Crystal asked, puzzled.

Stiles gestured not-so-subtly. "Him."

Crystal glanced over at Allison's table. "Oh."

"I mean, it all comes back to the video, right?" he continued.

Scott leaned closer. "But Danny said Matt was the one who _found _the two hours of footage missing."

"Exactly! He's trying to throw suspicion off himself." Ooh, Matt was smart. And evil. He was like the Riddler to Stiles's Batman.

"So he makes Jackson kill Isaac's dad, a hunter, and the mechanic working on your Jeep, and then attack Crystal?" Scott asked dubiously.

Stiles nodded vigorously. "Yes!"

"Why?"

"Because…he's evil."

Scott shook his head. "You just don't like him."

"The guy bugs me," Stiles admitted. "I don't know what it is. I mean, just look at his face." They stared at Matt, but Stiles could tell Scott wasn't buying it. So he went to his next best supporter. "Crystal, what do you think?"

His spirits soared when he saw her contemplative expression. "Maybe Stiles is right," she admitted.

He did a double fist pump. Scott looked at her disbelievingly. "What?"

"The night I was attacked, I saw Matt at the lacrosse game. He gave me this look, like he hated me—like I had done something horrible to him, but I'd never met him before."

"That doesn't mean he's controlling Jackson," Scott protested.

"It doesn't mean he's not," she countered.

Before they could say anything else, Jackson got up in a hurry. He looked like crap. When Harris asked if he was all right, he said, "I just need some water."

"No one leaves their seats," Harris ordered, following Jackson out of the room.

The moment the door swung shut, Stiles and Scott got out of their seats and flew over to Erica's desk. Crystal wasn't far behind. Erica smirked as they sat down.

"Stiles says you know how Jackson's parents died," Scott announced.

Her smirk grew—oh, Stiles _hated _those! It always looked like someone knew something he didn't and were just holding it over his head. "Maybe," she said.

"Talk," Scott ordered.

Erica sighed and leaned forward, dropping her voice. "It was a car accident. My dad was the insurance investigator, and every time he sees Jackson driving around in his Porsche, he makes some comment about a huge settlement Jackson'll get when he's eighteen."

Wait. "Not only is he rich now, but he'll be even richer at eighteen?"

"Yep."

"There's something seriously with that." Jackson, the one who thought he ruled all of Beacon Hills and who already had money to burn, was gonna get even more while people like Stiles's dad had to work hard for every penny instead of having it handed to them.

"Can you get us a copy of the insurance report?" Crystal asked.

Erica opened her laptop and started typing. "It's probably on my dad's inbox," she explained. "He keeps everything."

The intercom buzzed. "Scott McCall, please come to the principal's office."

Stiles frowned, panicked. "What does he want with you?"

Scott shrugged. "I don't know."

Crystal twisted a curl around her finger worriedly. "Be careful."

Scott nodded and left. Stiles sighed; now they had to wait until—

"Got it."

"That was quick." Stiles leaned over to read the report. "Whoa, look at the dates." He reached for the laptop, but Erica lightly slapped his hand away. Crystal curled her fingers in a _give it here _motion. Stiles pouted when Erica relinquished the computer. What, did she not trust him or something?

"'Passengers arrived at the hospital DOA'," Crystal read out loud. "'Estimated time of death—9:26 P.M., June fourteenth, 1995.'"

A chill raced up Stiles's spine. "Jackson's birthday is June fifteenth."

Crystal shivered, returning the laptop to Erica. "That's horrible."

A loud _zip_ broke through their conversation. They all turned to see Harris packing his stuff. Awesome, detention was over. Everyone had barely got out of their seats when Harris laughed. "Oh, no. Sorry. Yes, _I'm _leaving. But none of you are. You may go when you've finished the re-shelving." He patted two of the many library carts overflowing with books. Stiles grabbed Crystal's arm to keep her in place while she quietly fumed. "Enjoy the rest of your evening."

As soon as he disappeared, Crystal let out a vicious growl and tried to shake Stiles off. He mentally counted to ten before he let her go. "Calm down," he hissed.

Eyes burning, she glared daggers at the doors. "_I. Hate. Him._"

* * *

"Crystal. Crystal!"

She shoved another book roughly into its place. "What?"

"Scott's back."

"Thank God." She unceremoniously dropped the rest of the books she was holding and followed Stiles to where Scott and Allison were waiting. Stiles quickly summed up everything they found out about Jackson's parents' death, which honestly wasn't much.

"So was it an accident or not?" Allison wondered.

Stiles shrugged. "The word all over the report is 'inconclusive'."

Crystal highly doubted it had been an accident. "If they were murdered, then it would fit with the kanima myth."

Stiles nodded. "Yeah, it seeks out murderers."

"But we know the myth isn't completely accurate. It went after Crystal," Scott reminded them unnecessarily.

"But like I said, the kanima might not see in shades of grey." Or the master was getting stronger.

"What if Jackson goes after murderers for the person controlling him, and not for himself?"

Well, then that would definitely prove Stiles's theory that Matt was the master; he seemed to hate Crystal for no reason. But why would he send Jackson after her in the first place? She didn't think he knew about the fire, and she'd barely even talked to him. Her brain was going around in circles and it was giving her a headache.

"We have to tell Jackson."

"Scott, he won't—" Allison threw her hands up when he walked around the corner, completely ignoring her.

"I suppose the fact that Jackson has a restraining order against us means nothing to him." Crystal shook her head. The lights burst overhead suddenly, and Jackson leaped from bookshelf to bookshelf, sending books and glass raining down on them. Covering her head, Crystal dragged Stiles and Allison out of the aisle, sidestepping the books.

"Erica!" Scott called. Erica roared. Good. They were both all—

Erica screamed. _No._ "Erica!"

"Back, back, back!" With Allison's help, Stiles dragged her roughly between the bookshelves. "Jackson's right out there."

Crystal froze. _Idiot_, she berated herself. She had completely forgotten about Jackson in her haste to get to Erica. Scott came flying their way, taking down a cart full of books. As soon as he recovered, he crouched in front of them and they watched in horror as Jackson imitated a robot and, jaw gaping, wrote a message on the chalkboard before he leaped out the window.

**STAY OUT OF MY WAY OR I'LL KILL ALL OF YOU.**

Crystal shivered. "Where's Erica?" she whispered as they left the relative safety of the bookshelves.

Stiles peered around the corner and rushed to Erica's side. Crystal froze when she saw Erica shuddering on the floor. "Hey, hey, hey!" Stiles pulled her into his arms.

"She's having a seizure." Crystal knelt beside them, shifting so Scott could join them while Allison checked on Matt.

"He's alive," Allison told them.

"We need to get her to a hospital," Stiles said.

"Derek," Erica told him. "Only to Derek."

Scott turned to Allison. "When we get her to a hospital—"

"Derek," Erica objected.

"She's a werewolf, Scott, what's a hospital gonna do?" Crystal snapped worriedly. "You need to get her out of here right now."

"Go," Allison told him.

Crystal's fear and frustration grew as Scott left them to go to Allison's side.

"Scott!" Stiles protested.

"I'm not leaving you."

Oh, son of a bitch! Crystal scrambled around the corner.

"He can't take her, not—"

Crystal spun her brother around. The words spilled from her lips so fast she was surprised anyone could understand her. "Listen. Erica isn't supposed to get seizures anymore, which means something is seriously wrong. If you don't get her to Derek _now_, she could die." Her voice trembled at the weight of those last three words.

"This doesn't—"

"Stiles and I can't get her there by ourselves. I'll stay here with Allison—just get Erica to Derek."

"Will she be safe?"

Crystal took a shaky breath, adrenaline pumping through her veins. "I swore I'd keep all of you safe, and that includes Allison." Seeing that she was getting nowhere, she turned pleadingly to the other girl.

Allison searched her face for something and finally nodded. "Scott, go."

Scott kissed Allison gently on the forehead, nodded to Crystal, and finally—_finally—_swept Erica up and left the library, Stiles scrambling to open the door.

Crystal inhaled sharply, trying to get her breathing under control. "Call your dad."

"What about Matt?"

She checked his pulse. It was steady. "He should be okay."

"_Should_?"

"I'm not a doctor, but his pulse feels steady," she said distractedly, pulling out her phone and dialing Derek.

It rung twice before Derek answered. "Crystal?"

"Erica was attacked by the kanima and she's having a seizure. Scott and Stiles are bringing her to you."

"What about you?"

"I'm all right, just worried about Erica." She glanced over her shoulder. "I have to go. Call me later." She hung up before he could say anything else.

Allison was on the phone with Chris. "Dad, I'm fine," she reassured him. "No, I'm not—all right. Yeah. Crystal's here too." She held out the phone. "Dad wants to talk to you."

Crystal held the phone up to her ear. "Hi, Chris."

"I need you to look after Allison until I get there."

She nodded. "Okay."

"And don't fight with her," he added.

"Chris, I promise. She'll be safe with me."

He didn't question her change of heart. "I'll be there soon."

Crystal handed the phone back to Allison.

Allison looked at her strangely. "Okay, what's with you?"

"What?"

"You're being somewhat nice to me. It's really weird."

Crystal shrugged. "I promised I'd keep you safe."

"No, you've been acting weird all day."

"Like I said, I promised to keep you all safe."

Allison was still confused, and it seemed like she was getting a little irritated. Crystal's lips twitched upward, even as the younger girl snapped, "Promised _who_?"

The smile died. Crystal looked Allison directly in the eyes as she answered seriously. "My parents."

* * *

She sighed, exhausted after her long day. Erica was fine, thank God. Scott and Derek were teaming up to find Jackson—and, in her little brother's words, "catch him, not kill him".

Allison's mom and several hunters had shown up soon after their conversation in the library. Victoria looked like she wanted to rip Crystal's head off; luckily, there were more important things to deal with. As soon as Chris showed up and she talked to him and a police officer, she was free to go.

But her day didn't stop there. No, she spent the next couple hours searching for someone willing to take her on and let her serve her community service sentence. No luck. She had gone into the hospital to beg Melissa to let her work as a desk clerk, but Melissa was in no mood to talk. Turned out one of her patients, a new mother, had just been killed in her hospital bed—possibly by the same person who murdered her husband. The newborn child was now an orphan. It made her heart clench just thinking about it.

Too many people were dying. Scott and Derek were trying to find Jackson and his master, but who knew how long that would take or how many others would be dead before they did. They needed help. And she knew just where to go.

Taking a deep breath, she climbed the stairs and pushed the rickety wooden door open. Memories assaulted her: running through the door, shrieking in delight as Laura chased her. Sleepovers with Cora. Movie nights. Curling up on the sofa as Peter read to her. Watching Mike cook. Meeting the twins for the first time. Birthdays. Christmases.

Then there were the bad ones. The fire. Peter killing Kate. Derek locking her in the bathroom before he and Scott fought Peter. Having to drag his body through the house.

Swaying, she managed to make it to the room that had become Peter's grave before she collapsed and curled in on herself. She inhaled sharply and exhaled, trying to alleviate the pain that flared in her chest. _Okay, it's okay. Just breathe._

"So, you finally made it."

At his voice, Crystal pulled herself to her feet. "I need your help. We need to know how to stop the kanima and his master."

Peter mulled it over for an agonizingly long minute. "Once I'm no longer dead, I'll help you get rid of the kanima."

Her friends weren't going to like this, but it had to be done. By _her,_ not Lydia. It was the only way. "Thank you, Peter. Now, how do we bring you back to life?"

He smirked devilishly.

* * *

**Crystal takes Lydia's place, just as she's sort of becoming friends/caring about Allison again. And Derek won't be pleased with her either. One step forward, two steps back. Remember the lesson: Crystal is always right? Well, turns out she's just as flawed as we are. **

**Did anyone cry during the cemetery scene? If so, don't worry- I was in tears when I wrote it. If not, I salute you.  
**

**Once again, thanks to everyone who has read, favorited, followed, reviewed, or even just glanced at this story. I'm thinking of splitting this overall series into three stories, with a side story set between the first and second and maybe a few one-shots so I won't squeeze everything into one massive story. Just a heads-up in advance.  
**


	23. To Catch a Kanima

**Thank you to everyone who's been patient with me while I get through finals. That last quarter seemed to drag on forever.**

* * *

Scott couldn't believe his eyes when he saw who walked in behind Derek.

"What's he doing here?" He glared at the other Beta. Isaac smirked in return.

"I need him," Derek said, his tone leaving no room for argument. The door opened once more, allowing Crystal to slip inside. She glanced questioningly at Isaac.

Scott shook his head. "I don't trust him."

"Well, he doesn't trust you either."

"You know what?" Derek snapped. "Derek really doesn't care."

"And Crystal is wondering why everyone's talking in the third person." The only one who jumped at the sound of her voice was Isaac. Scott bit back a smug smile, glad that he hadn't been the one who jumped this time.

He noticed that Derek very nearly rolled his eyes at Crystal. "Funny."

"I thought so."

Derek spoke over her. "Now, is the vet gonna help us or not?"

Deaton stepped out of the examination room. "That depends. Your friend, Jackson."

"Not my friend," Crystal corrected.

Deaton raised an eyebrow; she met his eyes unapologetically. "Friend or not; are you planning on saving him or killing him?" he asked.

"Kill him," Derek said.

"Save him," Scott said at the same time. "Save him," he repeated more firmly, holding Derek's gaze, silently reminding the older werewolf of his promise. Derek scowled angrily but remained silent. Scott met Crystal's eyes.

She groaned. "Son of a bitch," she muttered. "Fine. But only because Lydia would hate me forever if I let her boyfriend die."

With a final nod, Scott turned back to Deaton. "Save him."

Deaton beckoned, and they followed him back to the examination room. As soon as Deaton set a box full of glass bottles on the table, Isaac reached out to grab one. Derek snagged his wrist.

"Careful what you touch," he warned.

"May I?" Crystal pointed to a bottle filled with black powder; when Deaton nodded, she picked up the bottle delicately, pointedly ignoring Derek's and Isaac's scowls.

"So, are you some kind of witch or something?" Isaac asked.

"No," was Deaton's cool response. "I'm a veterinarian." He looked through the bottles and sighed. "Unfortunately, I don't see anything that'll be a useful defense against a paralytic toxin."

"What about a useful offense?" Isaac suggested.

Derek shook his head, quite obviously frustrated. "We already tried that. I nearly took its head off; Argent emptied an entire clip into it. The thing just gets right back up."

"Have you seen any weaknesses?" Deaton asked.

A light bulb went off in Scott's brain and, from the way Crystal's head flew up, she had the same thought. "It hates water. It didn't want to get too close to the pool."

"Does that go for Jackson as well?"

Scott shook his head instantly. "He's captain of the swim team."

Deaton nodded and pulled open a drawer. "You're trying to catch two people—the puppet and the puppeteer."

"The kanima and the master," Isaac muttered.

"The puppet killed the husband. The puppeteer had to kill the wife. Do we know why?"

"Jackson wouldn't have been able to do it," Scott told them. "His mother died pregnant—we think she was murdered. I don't think he'd let the same thing happen to someone else."

"Or maybe it's because the baby was innocent," Isaac commented.

"Crystal's innocent. It didn't stop the kanima from going after her," Derek nearly growled. Scott forced back a shiver at the thought of his sister being a target.

"But we're also working under the theory that Jackson's being used to kill whoever the master wants, who hates me for some reason," Crystal reminded him.

"So because the master didn't order him to kill the baby, and killing the mother would kill the baby anyway, Jackson let her live?" Scott's head throbbed. He wondered if he was getting a headache.

"Or maybe his hatred for me is stronger than it was for Jessica. The bond might be getting strong enough to get around little details, but he has to order the death specifically."

Yeah, he was definitely getting a headache.

"But he went and killed the wife himself," Isaac piped up.

"Hold on." Deaton held up a hand. "The book says they're bonded."

"They'd have to have some kind of connection," Derek agreed. "Otherwise he wouldn't be able to get around the rule about only going after killers."

"What if it works the other way as well? What if the fear of water isn't coming from Jackson—"

"It's coming from the master," Scott and Crystal said almost instantaneously.

"So, what, something affects one and it affects the other?" Isaac asked.

"Exactly," Deaton told them. He picked up the jar of black powder and poured a circle around the medallion.

Derek's eyes glinted red. "So we can catch him."

Scott never took his eyes off the circle around the medallion. He couldn't believe that they had actually been able to come up with a way to beat the seemingly-unstoppable kanima. "We can catch both of them."

From the corner of his eye he caught the large grin that spread across Crystal's lips. "Excellent."

* * *

"We can catch them."

Peter made a noncommittal sound from his spot by the mirror she'd just set up, glancing between it and the window. "Tilt it up just a little bit."

Crystal rolled her eyes but did as she was told. "We know Jackson's gonna be at the rave, so if we can just get in and find him before he kills someone—"

"Toward me. A litt—too much. Back." He held up a hand and contemplated the angle.

"Then we can surround the place with mountain ash and we've got him." She frowned when he didn't immediately respond. "So?"

"Perfect."

"I meant the plan," she huffed.

Peter finally turned her way, but his expression seemed skeptical. Her heart plummeted. "You don't think it'll work."

"Doubtful."

"Why not? It's a good plan."

"Yes, but you're forgetting something: the kanima is meant to be a werewolf. And it takes a lot to subdue a werewolf."

"Oh." Crystal frowned, suddenly worried. "And if it doesn't work—"

"Your friends may not make it out alive," Peter said far too casually for her liking. "How many other mirrors did you bring?"

"How can we stop them without killing Jackson?"

Peter shrugged. "Kill the master."

"That's the problem! We don't know who the master is!" she cried. She had a suspicion, but it wasn't proof.

"Then get proof. Find the master and kill him."

Crystal groaned, burying her head in her hands. Peter made it sound like it was nothing, and threats came easily to her, but she was positive actually killing someone in cold blood wasn't simple. She didn't even know if she was capable of taking a life like that. Scott definitely wasn't, and he seemed to be making the calls now.

"Scott's making the decisions now?"

"Okay, how are you doing that?" She looked up in irritation at the ghost who looked so tangible.

"The necklace creates a mental connection. It's stronger because I'm dead."

"Peter, that made no sense. Can you please just explain? You promised," she reminded him. It sounded strongly like a whine but she didn't care. "I'm tired and not in the mood for your games right now."

Peter watched her for a moment. She didn't know what he saw on her face, but whatever it was made him sigh and lead her over to the stairs, where she could sit somewhat comfortably. He sat down a few steps below her so his back was against the wall and he could look up at her.

"Your necklace is special. You know it has a whistle in it that sounds like a wolf's howl."

"A wolf whistle." She nodded. "Great name."

"Not very creative, I'll admit. But it has a nice ring to it." He smirked. "That whistle also has a druid's spell that allows someone to put a bit of their blood into it. Once the necklace absorbs it, you can focus on that person and communicate mentally with them."

"Like in the warehouse."

Peter nodded. "It can hold several peoples' blood, but the more people you can connect with, the faster the blood fades."

"Seriously? How long does one person's stay in there for?"

He tilted his head. "According to the druid who cast the spell, one person's blood lasts a year. With five of us the connections would only last about four months."

Crystal's nose wrinkled in distaste. "I hate math."

Peter made a sound that was part way between a laugh and a sigh. "Each additional blood connection makes it run out two months faster."

"Oh. Does it matter how often I use it?"

"It might, but it's meant to be only for emergencies." He pointed to the necklace that she didn't realize she was absentmindedly playing with. "The whistle also only allows the one wearing it and those with blood inside to hear it."

"Ooh, clever." That meant, even if she blew it right next to Gerard, he wouldn't know that she called for help—unless he knew about wolf whistles. "Does Gerard know about these?"

Peter sneered at the hunter's name. "I doubt it. They're a well-guarded secret; I didn't even know about them until Talia asked me to add some of my blood."

She chuckled. That must have irked him. Peter loved knowing things that others didn't, and usually his knowledge gave him leverage. He scowled at her thoughts, which only heightened her amusement.

"So whose blood is in here?"

"Originally there was mine, Cora's, Talia's, Laura's and Derek's. Now it only has mine and Derek's."

"Can I connect with more than one person at once?"

"I wouldn't advise it," he said slowly after thinking about it. "It might take too much energy."

She nodded and rose. A sudden thought crossed her mind. "With a mental connection, you can only see me, right?"

"Yes." He said it casually, but she wondered if he was irritated over the flaw in the design.

"If I use more energy, do you think you could see through my eyes?"

His eyes sparked blue with interest. "We could try it. But not tonight. Go home. Get some sleep," he added as she stifled a yawn.

She stuck her tongue out at him mockingly. "See you tomorrow." She hopped over his outstretched legs, tossing a parting remark over her shoulder. "And stay out of my head!"

* * *

"There has to be some way we can get tickets, right?"

Stiles scoffed, amazed at his best friend's knowledge (or lack thereof) of quasi-illegal activities, especially after knowing Stiles for so long. "It's a _secret_ show."

"But there has to be more than one way—if they got busted at one spot, then wouldn't they still have an alternate?" Crystal asked.

"But that means more chance of them getting caught in the first place," Stiles pointed out.

"We have to find a way to get those tickets," Scott whispered.

Crystal sighed. "I could ask around, see if maybe Lydia or Danny—"

"Hey," a voice said roughly, cutting into their conversation. Stiles scowled when he turned around and saw Matt standing there. "Any of you guys know why no one's getting suspended after what happened at the library?"

"Just forget about it," Stiles told him dismissively. "Nobody got hurt."

"I had a concussion."

But Jackson hadn't paralyzed him. That was even more proof to his already suspicious brain that Matt was somehow involved, whether or not he was the master. "Well, nobody got seriously hurt."

"I was in the ER for six hours," Matt stressed.

"You do realize that the nurses have to prioritize. Unless you're in immediate danger you have to wait," Crystal said reasonably, cutting Stiles off before he could make a snarky remark.

He didn't like the look Matt gave her. "I could have had internal bleeding."

"Okay, buddy, look. Your little bump on the head is about—" Stiles crouched down and held his hand about six inches above the ground. Crystal pushed his hand down a little more with her foot. "—this high on our list of problems right now."

Scott, being the nicer, more empathetic one, asked Matt if he was okay.

"I'm fine _now_."

Crystal met Stiles's eyes deliberately. Her hands flashed in sign language for a brief moment. He didn't know the first one, but the second sign quite obviously meant "baby". He rolled his eyes and nodded.

"What?" Matt snapped, turning his head her way.

"What?" Crystal asked innocently.

"That—" He tried mimicking what she'd done, but failed.

She copied his motions perfectly. "I don't know what that means."

"You just did it!"

"Stiles, what's he talking about?"

Stiles shrugged dramatically.

Scott butted in before Matt blew his top. "Are they still selling tickets to the rave?"

"No." With a last glare at the two of them (which was not that terrifying compared to several other people's he'd seen—Crystal, Derek, Peter, Melissa and his dad immediately came to mind) Matt focused on Scott. "But I managed to find two tickets online. You should keep looking. Pretty sure everyone's gonna be there."

Matt walked away, completely missing Crystal's mocking wave. Scott turned on them.

"What was that?"

Crystal repeated the sign language so they could see what she was doing. "I called him a big baby."

Stiles nodded before immediately switching the subject. "Are you sure about this? Going to a rave with a killer?"

"The master killed someone himself when Jackson didn't," Scott told him. "So what do you think he's gonna do to make sure it doesn't happen again?"

Oh. "He'll be there to see it himself."

"And if we take Jackson out of the picture he'll have to get his hands dirty again," Crystal finished. "Then we've got him."

* * *

The day dragged on so slowly, Crystal was sure she was going to explode from nerves. Peter was doubtful of the plan, but it was all they had. They knew Jackson and the master would be there; it might be their only chance to flush him out.

Out of all the others, Scott and Stiles were the only ones who seemed as jumpy as her. Boyd, Erica and Isaac were relaxed, but they were only going to be outside the perimeter with Derek to make sure the kanima stayed inside and to keep an eye on Stiles. Since Isaac was only able to steal two tickets, Scott had decided (with some strong persuasion from her) that Crystal would be the second person to go in as both distraction and bait. The master might order Jackson to go after her first since she survived his attempt on her life.

Strangely, Crystal had gotten a text from Lydia asking why Allison seemed nervous. She wondered what the youngest Argent had to be worried about—it wasn't like she was going to be at the rave. Maybe Gerard was asking more questions about Scott and Jackson. But there was nothing they could do about that right now.

The ringing bell drew her out of her thoughts. She took a deep breath and maneuvered through the crowd of students to get to the parking lot. By the time she got to the car, Isaac, Erica and Scott were waiting.

"Where's Boyd?"

"He got a ride with Stiles," Isaac said. "We figured he'd be the least likely to kill him."

She curled her lip. "Ha ha, very funny." Even though it was just a joke, she didn't want to think about any of them dying.

"They'll meet us at Deaton's," Scott reassured her, squeezing her hand.

She nodded and unlocked the car doors so the wolves could pile in.

"It's gonna be fine," Erica said confidently. "Nothing bad will happen tonight."

"I wish I shared your confidence." Peter's doubt was infectious. She so desperately wanted him to be wrong.

* * *

True to Scott's word, Stiles's Jeep was parked in front of the vet's office next to Derek's Camaro.

Crystal stepped inside. "Anyone alive back there?"

Derek emerged from the back room, stone-faced. "I haven't had time to rip his throat out."

He wasn't glaring or scowling, so either Stiles was rubbing off on him or he was learning to ignore the hyperactive teen. She grinned at him, signing a question. _You're starting to like him, aren't you?_

He huffed, shaking his head firmly.

She didn't believe him for a second. _Told you they can worm their way in._

"Is that sign language?" Erica asked. "You know sign language?"

"Yeah." Crystal opened the gate and waved the others through. Boyd, Stiles and Deaton were already in the exam room, huddled around a table.

"Good, you're here." Deaton barely looked up when they walked in.

Crystal shuddered when she saw the giant needle in his hands. "What's that?"

"This is what you're going to be using to knock Jackson out." Deaton held up a bottle of liquid that she hadn't seen before, then set the bottle and needle in front of Scott. "Be careful with it; it's ketamine."

Scott turned the bottle over. "Ketamine?"

"It's what we use on dogs, just a higher dosage. If you can get close enough to Jackson it should slow him down enough to buy you some time."

"Slow him down?" Derek repeated.

"_Should_?" Crystal nearly squeaked. "And what if it doesn't?"

"Then you need to run fast," Deaton told her.

Derek growled.

"That's helpful," Isaac muttered.

"This is only part of what you'll be using. This next part is for you, Stiles—only you." Deaton set a bottle of mountain ash down.

Stiles picked up the bottle. "That sounds like a lot of pressure; could we find maybe a slightly less pressure-filled task?"

"Stiles, it won't be that hard. All you have to do is surround the building with mountain ash," Crystal assured him.

"Mountain ash?" Boyd asked.

"It's from the mountain ash tree. It's believed by many cultures to protect someone from the supernatural." Deaton waved a hand to encompass the room. "This whole office is lined with ash wood, making it difficult for someone like Scott to cause me trouble."

"But what if they're already inside the protective barrier?" Crystal wondered.

"Then I'd get out and close the door behind me."

"So it either keeps them in or out of the circle," Stiles summarized. "Then, what, I spread this around the building and Jackson or the master can't cross it?"

Deaton nodded. "They'll be trapped."

"As long as the person controlling the kanima is a supernatural being. If they're human it won't work," Derek told them.

Stiles's face fell.

"But it will definitely work against Jackson. Erica will be right with you. Derek, Isaac and Boyd will make sure no one tries to break it; you'll be fine," Crystal reassured him, narrowing her eyes at Derek. Derek ignored it.

"It isn't as simple as that," Deaton warned. "Think of the ash like gunpowder. It's only powder until a spark ignites it. You need to be that spark, Stiles."

"I don't think I'm up for lighting myself on fire," Stiles said weakly.

Derek rolled his eyes. "That's not what he means."

"Let me try a different analogy. I used to golf. I learned that the best golfers never swing before they imagine where they want the ball to go. They see it in their mind and their mind takes over. It's pretty amazing what the human mind can accomplish."

"Force of will."

"If this is going to work, Stiles, you have to believe it."

Stiles nodded in trepidation.

Isaac frowned. "I liked the spark analogy."

Erica smirked. "I've got a better one. All it takes is faith, trust and pixie dust, Peter Pan."

* * *

Chris stepped away while the others were loading the truck and dialed a number that was quickly becoming familiar.

"Chris, now isn't a good time," she told him.

"I need you to stay away from the rave tonight."

"Why?" she asked warily after almost a minute's silence.

"Because we're going to take down Jackson tonight."

Her voice dropped to a low whisper. "Wait, you know it's him? And you're going to _kill him_?"

"We have to. He's killed before and he'll kill again."

"Not by choice! He's being controlled!"

"By whom?"

"We don't know," she admitted. "But if we _capture_ Jackson tonight it might just force the master out of hiding."

"We? You mean you and Scott are gonna be there?" Chris rubbed his forehead—this conversation was going from bad to worse. If they were there it was more than likely that Stiles and Derek's pack would be there as well.

"Well, yeah. If I had known you hunters were planning on crashing the party I'd have given you more of a heads up." She sighed, sounding just as tired as he was. "I'll see you there."

* * *

"Derek, we've got a problem," Crystal announced the moment she arrived. "The Argents are coming."

Derek's eyes flashed red. "You called Argent?"

She scowled at him. "No, Chris called me. He told me they're planning on killing Jackson; I told him Scott and I would be here, and that Jackson's being controlled but we don't know who's controlling him."

"This changes things."

She nodded. "You're gonna have to keep the hunters off us. Think you'll be okay with not killing Chris?"

Derek's face twisted. "No."

She huffed. "Let's try this another way. Don't kill Chris. I gotta go," she added, seeing Stiles and Scott pull in closer to the warehouse.

"Scott! Stiles!" She dashed toward them, but she couldn't stop Scott from heading into the warehouse. "Crap."

"What's wrong?"

"The Argents are coming," she told Stiles.

"Great," he grumbled. "Like this day couldn't get any worse."

She frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He slammed the back of his Jeep closed. "Let's just get this over with."

Derek, Isaac, Erica and Boyd rounded the corner of the warehouse just as Scott came back outside.

"Come on." Crystal skidded to a stop next to the werewolves. Stiles was right behind her. "Change of plans."

"The Argents are coming," Scott told her.

"I know. Chris called."

"Derek told us," Boyd said.

"Boyd and I will keep the Argents busy," Derek said.

Scott nodded. "Isaac, I need you to give Jackson the ketamine."

"What? Why me?"

"Because I have to make sure Argent doesn't completely mess up the plan." He quickly handed Isaac the bottle and needle and told him how to use it. "Be careful."

Isaac took the needle and studied it. "I doubt this will hurt him."

"I meant you. I don't want you getting hurt."

Isaac seemed surprised at this bit of news. Erica smirked and cooed.

"Shut up," Isaac growled.

"Guys," Derek snapped. "Erica, you'll need to go in with Isaac. Take Crystal's ticket."

"What about Stiles?" Crystal protested.

"He'll probably be the safest out of all of us."

"That's comforting," Stiles muttered.

"Just in case, Crystal, you can stay with him and help him with the mountain ash," Scott said.

"All right." She handed her ticket to Erica.

"Shame," the other blonde mused. "I was looking forward to some alone time with Stiles."

Crystal rolled her eyes while Isaac faked being sick. "Stay safe. All of you."

* * *

"You take one bag, I'll take the other. If we split up we'll get it done."

"I'm not leaving you."

"I don't need you hovering over me!" he snapped.

"No," she agreed. "But I don't trust the other hunters like I do Chris. And if Gerard's here—that man's cunning and ruthless. Who knows what he would do if he saw us?"

Stiles huffed. "Fine."

"Remember, Deaton said it works through belief. If you believe you're the only one who can break it, then it'll keep anyone from disturbing the barrier."

"Got it." He opened the first bag and started pouring it out onto the concrete.

It took them longer than she thought it would to make the circle. When the first bag was completely emptied, Crystal unzipped the second and handed it to Stiles; the empty bag was going back in the Jeep as soon as they were done.

A noise made their heads jerk up. "Was that a gunshot?" Stiles asked nervously.

"Yeah." Crystal was all too familiar with the sound. She just hoped Chris wasn't actively trying to kill Derek and Boyd—but his hunters wouldn't be so generous. "Let's get this done."

They tried to ignore the gunshots and the growls as they rounded the last corner, almost right back where they started. They had nearly reached Stiles's Jeep when he groaned. "No, no, no!"

"What?"

He dumped the rest of the mountain ash into his hand and tossed the bag aside. There was only about a handful left, and they still had an entire fifty feet to go. Not good.

"What do we do?"

"It's gonna be okay." Crystal's brain ran through several ideas.

He stared at her in disbelief. "How? We're out here on our own, with werewolves and hunters with guns fighting right around that corner, and I've got a handful of fairy dust that isn't gonna make it fifty feet."

Bingo. "Stiles, you said it yourself. It's like fairy dust. You just have to believe that you can do it."

"Believe that I can finish the circle?" He looked away and saw something near one of the cars. Panicked, Crystal whirled around, but no one was there.

"Imagination is more important than knowledge," he whispered. "That's it. I just have to imagine it."

She smiled proudly. "Faith, trust and pixie dust." She stepped aside and let Stiles work his magic.

_It's working. It's actually working!_ She bit her tongue to keep from cheering, not wanting to break his concentration. The moment Stiles completed the circle, the ash stopped falling. He sighed and looked down—

"Yes!" he cried.

"You did it!" Crystal laughed gleefully and they threw their arms around each other in a tight hug. "That was so cool, Stiles."

"I know, right?" Another gunshot went off, sobering them quickly.

"Come on. Let's go find Isaac and Erica."

* * *

"Whoa, whoa! Just us," Stiles cried out the moment he opened the door. Good thing, too, since he was pretty sure Isaac almost attacked him. Isaac and Erica were as far as they could get from Jackson in the tiny shipping container. Stiles and Crystal joined them, and he nodded at the knocked out kanima.

"He okay?"

"Let's find out." Isaac flicked his claws out and tried to stab Jackson, but Jackson caught his wrist and twisted it around. Stiles shivered and met Crystal's eyes, his trepidation mirrored in hers. How did Jackson do that when he wasn't even awake?

Isaac shook Jackson off and backed toward them with a growl. "I thought that stuff was supposed to knock him out."

"Apparently this is all we're gonna get," Stiles said, waving at their captive. "So let's just hope that whoever's controlling him actually decided to show up tonight."

Jackson's eyes flew open. "I'm here."

They all skittered back. Well, this wasn't exactly what Stiles was hoping for. Of course almost nothing seemed to be going right tonight. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he wanted to hit himself. _Where's some wood or salt when you need it?_

"I'm right here with you," Jackson continued, his voice distorted.

Great. Normal kanima Jackson was creepy—this took it to a whole other level.

Stiles took half a step forward before Crystal grabbed his jacket sleeve.

"What are you doing?" she hissed, more than a hint of worry in her tone.

"Look, we can find out why he's doing this," Stiles whispered. And if he could get the master to talk enough, then maybe he'd get enough clues to figure out who the master was. Suspicion only took an investigation so far.

"Then let me—"

"_No_," Stiles protested firmly. "He's already tried to kill you; that means he could try again." His mind oh-so-helpfully drew a mental picture of Crystal lying dead in this shipping container, with her blood all over the place and Stiles standing in the corner, unable to help her.

"It might be safer for all of us if you left," he told her, circling a finger in the air. "Small space and all that." He was unabashedly playing on one of her greatest fears, and they all knew it. She glared at him, but his worry for her outweighed his fear of her temper. "Please."

"Fine." She jabbed a finger in his chest. "But if you get hurt because I left I'm gonna kill you."

She left, closing the door firmly behind her. Stiles knelt down in front of Jackson.

"Jackson? Are you in there?"

"Us," he said in that creepily distorted tone. "We're all here?"

All? How many people were there in this guy's brain? "Are you the one killing people?"

"We are the ones killing murderers."

"So all the people you've killed so far—"

"They deserved it," Jackson/master spat.

"What about Crystal?" Erica piped up. "She doesn't deserve it."

"Yes, she does. She deserves to die."

Erica growled; Stiles held up a finger in her direction without looking away from Jackson.

"See, we've got a rule book that says you're only supposed to go after murderers."

"Anything can break if enough pressure's applied." His tone sounded more than a little smug.

"Everyone besides Crystal is a murderer then?"

"Yes."

"So why did you try to kill Crystal in the pool?" Stiles almost snapped, but he needed answers. Making the master angry wouldn't get him anywhere.

"Because she deserved to die."

"Fine." Stiles's tone was terse, but he didn't care. Guess the master found a way around the rule. Maybe Crystal was right—every time they mentioned her name, Jackson's tone got angrier. Maybe he really did hate her enough to get around the fact that Crystal was innocent.

Taking a deep breath, Stiles asked, "Who did they kill?"

"Me."

That threw him. "Huh?"

"They murdered me," Jackson/master growled. Jackson's eyes glowed and turned reptilian as he started to shift.

Oh, this was so not good.

* * *

Crystal paced back and forth in front of the line of mountain ash, close enough that she could still see where they were holding Jackson but protected by the barrier should he escape and come after her. She realized that she didn't hear any gunshots—the fight between hunters and werewolves was over. Reluctantly she left to go find Derek, Scott and Boyd. She rounded the corner and ducked back quickly, heart pounding.

What the hell was Gerard doing?

She peeked carefully. Gerard knelt in front of the part of mountain ash that Stiles had to imagine. Even from here she could see his confusion when he couldn't touch it.

"Ha!" she breathed. Score one for Stiles.

Gerard left, and Crystal counted to ten before she made her way to the same spot. As soon as she brought her hand too close the line seemed to fade. The line was still there, but it looked more like a skid mark than a line of dust you could brush aside.

"Good job, Stiles."

She looked around the entire building, but she couldn't find Scott. Derek was waiting for her by her car.

"Where's Boyd?"

"I told him to leave. The Argents had wolfsbane bullets. Have you seen Scott?" he asked.

She shook her head. "No."

Derek looked a little worried, which was never a good thing. A sense of dread threatened to overwhelm her, and she speed-dialed her brother.

"This isn't good. It went straight to voicemail," she told Derek. She had been so worried about protecting Stiles the human that she'd completely forgotten that Scott the werewolf could be in just as much danger. "We have to find him."

Derek nodded and inhaled deeply. "I've got his scent. It's faint," he warned, leading her to the front entrance where everyone else was piling out. Stiles saw them and hopped over the line of mountain ash.

"Hey. So, um, we kinda lost Jackson inside—"

Crystal was a little upset that Jackson and his master got away, but she was more concerned with finding Scott. Erica and Isaac came out of the warehouse and stopped. Surprised, they looked down at the mountain ash.

"Wh—" Stiles grinned. "Oh my God! It's working! I did it!"

His contagious enthusiasm made Crystal smile. But the moment didn't last long.

A wolf howled nearby, only to be cut off abruptly. The hairs rose on the back of her neck and her heart skipped a beat.

"Scott," Derek whispered.

"Wait, what?" Stiles asked, but Crystal was already across the ash line and headed in the direction she thought she'd heard her brother.

"Stiles, break the circle!" she practically screamed over her shoulder as she ran.

He must have heard the panic in her voice, or maybe Derek told him something else; either way, she knew he broke the circle, because moments later Derek was running past her and entering a warehouse that was separated from the others.

She darted after him and stopped in the doorway at the scene in front of her. Mrs. Argent had Derek up against the wall, a knife in her hand. Scott was lying too still on the floor near a wooden table. Crystal's head spun as she caught a strong whiff of wolfsbane. Grimacing, she slipped past the two fighters—Derek had somehow slipped out of Mrs. Argent's hold—and found the source of the wolfsbane: a vaporizer. It didn't take long to turn it off, but the room was so thick with the smell, it really didn't matter.

She helped Derek carry Scott outside as best she could. Sometimes she really envied werewolf strength. They laid Scott down as soon as they got far enough away from the warehouse so Crystal could check both of them over.

"You okay?"

"It's a scratch," Derek coughed dismissively, more worried about Scott.

She checked Scott's pulse and breathing. Neither were good, but at least he was alive. "We need to get you guys to Deaton's, fast."

Nearby footsteps had Derek's fangs extending before Isaac, Erica and Stiles rounded the corner.

"Oh my God, Scott!" Stiles cried. He crouched next to them.

"He's alive. But we need to get him to Deaton's." Crystal fished her keys out of her pocket and tossed them to Derek, who caught them with his good hand. "Take my car, it's faster."

Derek nodded and left to get the car.

Taking a deep breath, Crystal grabbed one of Scott's hands. "Isaac, Erica, we need you to get Scott in the car, then Stiles can take you to my place."

"What about you?" Stiles protested. "Jackson could still be out here somewhere."

"No, if you couldn't find him, he's long gone."

"How are you gonna get home?" Erica asked.

"I'll find a ride," Crystal assured her as Derek braked the car a little too roughly. She winced. Stiles held open the door, allowing Isaac and Erica to get Scott in the back seat.

"Lay him on his side in case he gets sick," Stiles said. Crystal grimaced at the thought of anyone being sick in her car.

She knocked on the driver's window. Derek unrolled it, and she leaned in to keep him from taking off the moment Stiles shut the door.

"Make sure to get checked out too," she reminded him.

He rolled his eyes. "Fine."

She pressed a kiss to his unshaven cheek and backed away to watch him speed off. She had no doubt that Derek could get to Deaton fast enough; she just hoped that Deaton would be able to save Scott. She had no idea how long he'd been in that wolfsbane-filled room, and even the strongest werewolf would die if they were exposed to enough of the poison.

"You let him take your car?" Stiles asked suddenly, breaking her out of her thoughts.

She shrugged distractedly. "I figured it was about time, since he's let me drive his." She turned to the other three. "Get over to my place. Stiles knows where the pillows and blankets are."

"We can just go back to the lair," Isaac told her.

"_No_," she stressed vehemently. "We don't know if it's safe there."

"I kinda need to go home. My parents don't know I'm out," Erica admitted.

Crystal shook her head. "Fine. But next time just tell them you're with friends." She pointed at Stiles. "Are you staying at my place with Isaac?"

"Don't I get a say in this?" Isaac protested.

"Just let her be pack mom for tonight," Erica told him softly.

Stiles and Crystal ignored them. "Might as well," Stiles sighed. His face grew crestfallen. "I'm pretty sure my dad won't want to see me anyways."

"What happened?"

"I'm pretty sure I got him fired."

None of them knew what to say to that. Even if Crystal wanted to say "I told you so", which she didn't, Stiles's expression would have taken all the gloating out of her. So instead of saying anything, she threw an arm around his shoulders gently enough that he could throw her off if he wanted to.

Stiles shrugged her arm off after a few seconds. "Let's go. Are you sure you don't want to come back with us?"

She shook her head. "I've got some other business to take care of."

She had to tell Chris that his wife had tried to kill his daughter's secret werewolf boyfriend.

* * *

"Where are you?" she sighed. His phone was ringing. He knew her number, and they never called each other just to chat, so unless something more important came up—

She redialed as soon as she reached his voicemail. She heard a ringtone go off close by, and this time the call was immediately redirected to voicemail. She hung up her phone and put it on vibrate; now that she knew where he was, she didn't need to add to her phone bill.

"Somebody important?" The unknown voice, too close for comfort, had her ducking into the shadows.

"No."

Ouch. Chris brushed her phone calls aside like they were nothing. But she threw that aside, realizing that she'd heard something she didn't recall hearing in his tone before. Chris sounded nervous.

No, Chris sounded _scared_.

Her stomach fell. What could scare the big bad werewolf hunter, who faced down an insane Alpha and a deadly lizard without flinching, and who grew up with a man even Peter was wary of?

She used the tricks the Hales taught her to approach the hunters without making a sound. Now she could see Chris and another hunter standing by a familiar red SUV.

"Chris!"

Mrs. Argent stumbled toward her husband. Chris met her halfway and caught her when she fell. He pulled back her sweater and looked at something on her shoulder—Crystal couldn't make it out, and she was hesitant to get closer—but whatever it was shattered him.

Crystal's heart broke as she took in the agony on the face of one of the strongest people she knew. _What could possibly cause that?_

"She was bitten."

She wasn't surprised when Peter spoke next to her. Instead, she frowned in confusion. _She'll become a werewolf. But that doesn't make sense,_ she added once Peter nodded. _Chris won't kill someone for just being a werewolf._

"But she would. She certainly hates werewolves enough. She wouldn't want to become one." He nodded toward the Argents. "And if she doesn't do it, someone else will."

Crystal could feel the blood draining from her face. _What?!_

"It's part of their Code," he sneered. "If a hunter is bitten by an Alpha, they have to kill themselves."

That explained everything. Chris and his wife both knew what that bite meant. _But how did she even get bitten? I mean, Derek wouldn't—_

He wouldn't sentence someone to death like that. But if he'd bitten her in self-defense….

A tear trickled down her cheek. Chris was about to lose someone else he loved to the unnecessary war between hunters and the werewolves of Beacon Hills.

"Why do you care so much?" Peter wondered.

_Because it's Chris,_ she spat. _He's a good man, an honorable hunter._

"No such thing."

_You don't even know him!_

Peter scoffed. His presence faded, leaving a chill in his wake. Crystal stayed long enough to see Chris carry his wife to the car and drive away.

As she passed the main warehouse entrance, she saw flashing lights and crime scene tape. Sheriff Stilinski was just coming out of the building.

"Sheriff," she called.

"Crystal? What are you—" He let the question drop. Seeing his tired expression and his missing gun and badge, she felt almost as guilty as Stiles did.

"Did we get you fired?"

"No. I'm on suspension." He couldn't even muster up a half-smile.

Another tear leaked from her eye. "What happened?" she asked, changing the topic abruptly.

"Another murder. And that's all I can tell you."

"What was her name?"

At her question, Sheriff Stilinski appeared conflicted for a moment before he sighed in resignation. "Kara Simmons."

Crystal mouthed the name. Another victim that they had failed to save. "Thanks."

"Go home." He headed over to his car.

"Can I get a lift?" She shrugged at his disbelief. "I lent Derek my car; his is in the shop."

He sighed but nodded, opening the passenger door. "Come on."

* * *

Her phone buzzed with a handful of texts. Boyd was home safe and sound after paying a visit to Deaton, who'd successfully removed the wolfsbane bullets. Erica had made it home in one piece. Stiles and Isaac were at her place. Derek was all right—Crystal rolled her eyes; even if he were seriously sick he probably wouldn't tell her over a text—but Scott was still unconscious. She went into the kitchen and called Deaton's office.

"Hello?"

"Hey, doc. Sorry to call so late," she said softly. "I just wanted to check on Scott and Derek."

"It's perfectly all right, Crystal. Scott's resting. I managed to cleanse their systems of the wolfsbane. He should be fine by tomorrow."

She let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding. "Thanks, Deaton. And Derek?"

"Well, Mr. Hale doesn't seem to want to leave Scott's side." Deaton sounded amused. A very distinct growl carried down the line.

Crystal chuckled. "Tell him I said to get some sleep."

"I will. Good night, Crystal."

"Good night, guys," she said, knowing Derek could hear her perfectly well.

She peeked in on Isaac and Stiles. Both of them were on the floor, fast asleep while a movie played. Stiles was sprawled out and he'd somehow managed to twist his blanket around his legs. Isaac was curled into a ball, arms out over his blankets in case he needed to get free quickly. She turned the TV off, but they didn't stir.

"Night, boys."

They might have slept soundly, but Crystal spent what was left of the night tossing and turning. When she finally dozed off, her mind conjured up nightmares filled with fangs, claws, blood, and death.


	24. To Be or Not to Be

**Disclaimer: if you recognize it, it's probably not mine.**

**WARNING (just in case you forget what happens in 2x09 or if you need trigger warnings)- talk of suicide, mentions character death**

* * *

Crystal was so glad spring break had begun. This meant she didn't have to keep sneaking out at night to finish setting up for the Worm Moon on Wednesday. Deaton had been kind enough to allow her to serve her community service by being his receptionist at the clinic. Lydia had requested her help in picking out dresses and shoes for the party. As much as she hated using her friend as an excuse, helping Lydia allowed her to avoid the others.

Thankfully, this week she served her hours during the first half of the day and Scott worked in the afternoons, so she rarely crossed paths with him. If she stuck around Scott for too long, he'd know she was worried about something besides Jackson, and then he'd use his amazing puppy eyes to draw it out of her. If he found out she was helping resurrect Peter, he'd put a stop to it.

If she met up with Derek, he'd probably smell her apprehension and guilt. She still had to get the Alpha blood, but according to Peter it had to be directly from the source. That meant she had to find a way to get Derek over to the house right before the moon reached its peak. She still had no idea how to do that, and as the full moon grew closer her anxiety skyrocketed.

Luckily Stiles was just as busy trying to find a connection between the victims, which kept him too occupied to wonder why she wasn't around much.

Chris was the easiest to avoid. She had no idea how to tell him that his wife had attacked Derek and tried to kill Scott, when it was Derek's bite that signed her death warrant. A hundred different scenarios ran through her mind, all ending with Chris either slamming a door in her face or putting a bullet in Derek's head. And she wanted to help him somehow, but she highly doubted her sympathy would be appreciated.

Tuesday afternoon, Peter was waiting for her at his grave. He didn't bother with greetings; faint tension was written over every line in his body, evident only to those who knew him well. "How are you getting Derek here?"

Crystal inhaled shakily. "I was thinking of having Lydia make a circle of mountain ash around the station and close it as soon as Derek left. If Deaton doesn't have any more ash, I can see if Chris will give me some."

"He'll want to know what it's for," Peter warned.

"It won't be too much of a surprise if I say it's just a precaution."

He nodded. "And then?"

"Just—call Derek, I guess," she finished weakly. Honestly, she was surprised she'd thought half the plan through.

"Will Miss Martin go along with this?"

"God, I hope so," she muttered. She had to tell Lydia all about the supernatural, something she'd been putting off as long as possible. Fortunately Lydia hadn't brought the subject up during their planning sessions.

"After you get Derek here, I need him weak enough that he won't fight me." He studied her for a second, then added, "Knocking him out might be best."

"How much will this hurt him?" she asked warily; they both clearly remembered his promise not to hurt anyone she cared about. Despite his attitude, she knew Peter cared about Derek, too—they were family, after all.

"If you knock him out, it shouldn't hurt much."

"_Shouldn't_?" she repeated.

Peter rolled his eyes. "Would you rather he be awake and fighting? That won't help anyone; if anything, it will hurt him more."

Crystal growled in frustration. "And you _have _to use Derek?"

"Unless you can find another Alpha by tomorrow."

She sat down roughly on the stairs, dropping her head in her hands. "Fine. I'll drug Derek with a little bit of wolfsbane, then you can use his blood to come back to life."

_And I just have to hope Derek forgives me._

* * *

Lydia knew as soon as she opened her door and saw the look on Crystal's face that she wasn't going to like what her friend had to say. But she never thought that her world would be turned upside down in mere minutes.

"So, werewolves exist?"

Crystal nodded silently.

"You've known werewolves for your entire life? And my best friend comes from a line of werewolf _hunters_? And she just happens to be dating a werewolf, who's also your brother? And Derek Hale, Boyd, Erica Reyes and Isaac Lahey are also werewolves?"

With each question, her voice rose. Crystal merely nodded in response every time. Her next question was practically a shriek.

"And another werewolf, Peter Hale, attacked me and is now dead, and you want me to help you _bring him back_?!"

Crystal flinched. "Well, you wouldn't be bringing him back; I would. I just need you to make a circle of mountain ash around the building Derek's staying in and close it once he leaves so the others don't get out and wreak havoc all over Beacon Hills."

Lydia stared at her in disbelief; Crystal smiled sheepishly.

"Give me one good reason why I should help him."

"You'd actually be helping me. Peter is a master strategist and a damn good manipulator; we need that to keep three steps ahead of Gerard. Hopefully Peter will know how to stop him."

"Allison's grandfather and leader of the hunters, out for revenge because Peter killed his daughter," Lydia recited numbly.

Crystal scowled. "Only because she started the Hale fire and killed almost everyone inside."

Lydia rubbed her temples. She was starting to get a hell of a migraine. "I just—I can't—"

Crystal dropped her head in resignation but nodded. "Okay. Just, please don't tell anyone else?"

Lydia glared at her scornfully. "Nobody would believe me."

"The hunters would." Crystal met her eyes seriously. "And I don't want you to get hurt." She got up and headed for the door. "Oh, by the way? The blue dress would look better."

The door closed shut behind Crystal. Lydia dropped onto her bed with a groan. How did a wonderful sophomore year turn into a nightmare in less than three months?

She had been attacked by a _werewolf_, of all things. Her boyfriend had dumped her in exchange for werewolf abilities, but instead he had become a kanima that was under the control of someone who wanted certain people, including Crystal, dead. Lydia herself was miraculously immune to kanima venom and werewolf bites. Allison and Scott were in a Romeo and Juliet-esque relationship and her grandfather was trying to kill every werewolf in Beacon Hills, including innocent teenagers. Why would anybody even want to be a werewolf? It only seemed to bring trouble, and it wasn't like there was anything really impressive to come out of it.

Well, okay, maybe the speed, strength, and being able to see in the dark. But even those had their downsides.

Lydia rolled off her bed. She needed a drink. And then she'd think about helping Crystal with her ridiculous plan.

Maybe.

* * *

Crystal mustered up what was left of her courage and confidence and knocked on the door. She froze when the door swung open to reveal Chris. It was tough but she managed to bite back her reaction—the poor man looked _awful_.

"Hi, Chris," she said weakly.

"Crystal. What are you doing here?" he asked brusquely.

"Allison called."

He waved her inside. "She's in her room."

She hesitated at the foot of the stairs. "I'm sorry about your wife."

His face turned to stone. "What?"

"Chris?"

Speak of the devil; Mrs. Argent came out of the kitchen. She froze when she saw Crystal, covering her bitten shoulder with her hand while she speared Crystal with a menacing glare. Crystal returned it with just as much venom.

"How did you know?" Chris asked softly.

Her heart broke at the devastation on his face. Why did he have to suffer so much for the arrogance and the mistakes of others?

"I was there," she whispered softly. "I tried calling you, but then you saw her shoulder."

His fists clenched. "Why did Derek bite her?"

It was strange; after worrying for days about what to say, she discovered that all she had to do was open her mouth, and the words spilled out. "She didn't tell you? Chris, your wife tried to kill Scott. Derek and I were trying to protect him. She attacked Derek, and he must have bitten her in self-defense. It's the only explanation," she added hurriedly, seeing the furious disbelief on his face. "He was with me the entire time until he took Scott to get help."

Chris looked at his wife in silence. "Thank you," he finally said as he managed to pull his gaze from her.

Crystal nodded and hurried up the stairs to Allison's room, where Lydia and Allison were trying to find Allison an outfit for the party.

Allison smiled. "Crystal."

"Finally," Lydia sighed. She held up a pink floral dress with a brown belt in one hand and a short black spaghetti strapped dress in the other. Crystal silently pointed at the floral one. Lydia handed it to Allison, who went to change.

As soon as she was gone, Lydia turned to Crystal. "I'll help you."

Her brain must have stopped working for a second because there was no way Lydia had just said what Crystal thought she'd said. It was what Crystal had hoped for but not expected. "Thank you," she choked out gratefully.

"Just make sure he doesn't hurt anyone ever again."

Unfortunately Crystal couldn't make that promise without breaking it.

Even though she wasn't going, she decided to stay with them and make sure Allison looked good and Lydia looked amazing for her own party.

"Crystal, why aren't you getting ready?" Allison asked curiously.

"I'm not going," Crystal told her.

"What?" She turned to Lydia, incredulous. "And you're okay with this?"

Lydia rolled her eyes, scowling at Crystal. "Yeah. She said something more important came up."

Crystal smiled and pulled a small envelope out of her pocket. "Maybe this will make up for it."

Lydia took the envelope curiously. Inside was a gift certificate for two for a weekend at the Grace Pools Spa. She smiled. "Thank you."

"I figured I owe you."

Lydia hugged her tightly then pulled back with a smirk. She handed Allison the certificate. "Interested?"

Allison nodded appreciatively at the gift. "Sure. Crystal, are you coming?"

Returning Lydia's smirk, Crystal shrugged. "Maybe. I might even bring Melissa, too. It's been a while since she's had a chance to sit back and relax. But right now, we've got to finish getting you two ready for the party."

* * *

"Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Crystal shook her head. "I'll stop by if I get finished before the party's over, but no promises."

"All right." Allison waved farewell a little awkwardly, but her hand dropped when Crystal made no move to leave the house with her. "What's wrong?"

"I just…need a quick word with your dad."

Allison only looked faintly surprised. "Oh. He might be in the kitchen."

"Have fun at the party."

The door swung closed behind Allison. Crystal waited just long enough to make sure Allison hadn't forgotten anything before she took off to find Chris.

_What are you doing?_

_I have to help him, _Crystal thought.

_And how do you expect to do that? _With each word, Peter's voice grew colder. _Need I remind you that the moon rises in just over two hours?_

_No, you don't, _Crystal replied tersely.

_Then why are you helping him?_

_For the same reason I'm helping you._

_Oh, he's threatening and blackmailing you? _Peter wondered dryly.

Crystal rolled her eyes as she peeked into the kitchen and found Chris at the kitchen table in a rare position: vulnerable and exhausted, with his head resting tiredly on his arms. _Because I _care _about him_.

She moved with barely a sound, but Chris still straightened and looked up, his soldier's mask falling into place. "I thought you were going to Lydia's party."

Crystal shook her head. "This might be a stupid question, but how are you?"

"You're right; it was a stupid question." He sighed heavily when Crystal just kept staring at him. "I'll be all right."

Liar. "May I?" She gestured to the chair next to his. When he nodded, she sat down. "Why?"

He looked at her curiously.

"Why is it a rule that hunters _have _to kill themselves if they're bitten? Being a werewolf isn't all bad."

"Most hunters see werewolves as less than human," he explained slowly. "They'd rather die as a human than live as a monster."

"What about you? If you got bitten…would you kill yourself?"

Chris's face went blank. "Yes," he said without a moment's hesitation.

Crystal severely doubted it. Chris was strong; there was no way he'd just lay down and die. He'd fight until he couldn't fight anymore. And he loved Allison too much to destroy her like that.

"Really?" she asked, unamused. "You'd leave Allison alone, with no one but her grandfather?"

"She'd have her friends."

"It's not the same. Trust me on that." She rose from the chair and was halfway out the kitchen when a chilling thought occurred to her. "Chris? If your wife can't—" She inhaled sharply, but continued. "If she can't do it, what happens?"

"She'll do what she has to."

"But if she _can't_?"

"Then I'll do it."

Her heart broke for him, but at the same time her determination and protectiveness reared its head. There was no way she was going to let Chris go through that.

After everything else that had happened in the last few months, there was no way in hell she was going to sit back and watch Chris have to kill his wife.

* * *

She was sitting on Allison's bed, and she didn't even look up when Crystal walked into the room.

"I didn't get a chance to talk to her, so I want to do it here, where I could be with her."

Crystal shook her head in disbelief. How could anyone do that to someone they loved? If she killed herself here, Allison would never be able to step foot in this room again without envisioning her mother's death.

Mrs. Argent turned around as she spoke. "And I need your—" She froze when she saw Crystal standing behind her. Her voice chilled and her fist tightened around the _very _big knife she held in her hand. "What are you doing here?"

Crystal's fists clenched at her sides, but she didn't yell like she so dearly wanted to. "I won't let you do this to them."

"I don't have much of a choice."

Crystal sneered. "You always have—"

"I will _not _live as a monster."

Crystal glared at the elder woman. "So you've decided to make your husband suffer even more? He already knows you're gonna kill yourself; if you can't run yourself through, were you gonna make him help you? Were you about to make Chris have to tell Allison that he killed her mother?" She made a conscious effort to keep her voice lowered, but she couldn't stop it from shaking. "Oh, I know. You want to make sure Allison hates werewolves just as much as you do. Is that gonna be your legacy? A murderous daughter, who's willing to kill innocent and guilty alike? Because if you do this, if you leave her in Gerard's hands, that's what's gonna happen."

"Chris can protect her."

"Not from his own father." Crystal shook her head roughly, her heart pounding as she noticed the moonlight streaming through the window.

Peter materialized right beside her. _Hurry,_ he growled.

_I can't leave yet. Chris—_

_She'll kill herself anyway. She's too stubborn, and she hates werewolves too much to live as one._

_I have to try._

His eyes flashed icy blue. _Say exactly what I tell you to. And if it doesn't work, then there's nothing you can do._

Her blood chilled even as she repeated the words Peter whispered in her mind. "Gerard is a snake, but he's extremely clever. He knows exactly what words to say at exactly the right moment. He knows when to push and when to back off. He'll use this to his advantage and mold Allison like he molded Kate."

"What do you want me to do? Live as a monster?" Mrs. Argent gripped the knife tighter.

"You'd be alive," Crystal muttered warily.

"You don't want me to make Chris suffer, but you're willing to make him hunt me down?"

Crystal flinched minutely before straightening. "Fine. Do what you want. But don't make Chris kill you."

She pivoted on her heel and stormed out of the room, practically running into Chris. "Sorry."

He stared at her suspiciously. "What are you still doing here?"

"I was trying to help," she admitted, catching sight of Gerard watching them. Her face went blank as her muscles tensed. "Can we talk outside?"

* * *

Peter was going to kill her. They had less than forty minutes before his window closed, and here she was, trying to help an Argent. He sneered in disgust. Why did she even care about him in the first place? He was no better than the rest of them—given the chance, he'd kill them all.

Then again, there must be something that set him apart from the others; Crystal was protective over him, and that only happened when she truly cared about someone. Her words from the other night echoed in Peter's ears: _He's a good man, an honorable hunter._

He studied Chris Argent as the hunter accompanied Crystal to her car.

"Chris, I'm sorry," she sighed. "I really thought I could do something."

"There's nothing you could have done." The underlying message was clear—his wife was dead from the moment Derek bit her.

A conflicted look crossed Crystal's face. She threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. The hunter blinked before he returned the hug fiercely. Peter's eyes narrowed at the agony visible on the other man's face.

"Allison will need you."

"I know."

Crystal pulled away from him and held up her necklace. "Do you have a knife? I just need a bit of your blood."

"Why?" the hunter asked warily.

"So I can talk to you without a phone if I need to. This necklace creates a mental connection between the one wearing it and the people whose blood is in it."

Peter scoffed lightly as Argent nicked his finger with a knife he had in his pocket. There was so much more to the necklace than that, although it would take too long to explain.

Crystal caught the drops of blood with the necklace and put it back around her neck. "If you need me, just call. Or think about me, whichever's easier."

Maybe it wouldn't be a bad thing to have a hunter on their side, Peter mused. But he was also related to Kate and Gerard, so Peter would have to keep an eye on him. One thing was for certain: as long as Chris Argent wasn't a threat to Crystal, Peter wouldn't be a real threat to him.

* * *

Derek just finished chaining Isaac back up when his phone rang. He answered without looking at the display. "What?"

"Derek, I need to talk to you right now." Her voice trembled with urgency.

"This isn't a really good time," he told her, but he was already moving.

"I know, and I'm sorry. But it's important. Can you meet me at your house in twenty minutes?"

He looked at his Betas. Isaac was the only one who looked back with any sort of sanity, but Erica and Boyd were quiet for now. "I can't leave them."

"Lydia's surrounding the place with mountain ash, so they won't be able to get out even if they got loose. Please, Derek."

Her voice cracked, which worried him. Something serious must have happened if she sounded like this.

"Go," Isaac said. "We'll be fine."

Studying the younger Beta, Derek nodded reluctantly. "All right," he told Crystal. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

* * *

Crystal was pacing back and forth, wondering what was keeping Derek, when the Camaro braked sharply in front of the Hale house.

"What's wrong?" Derek asked immediately.

She shook her head sadly, clenching her fist by her side as she tried to shove away her guilt. "I'm sorry." In a heartbeat, she brought her fist in front of his face, opened it, and blew the fine wolfsbane powder in his face. Confusion and betrayal flashed across his face even as his eyes rolled back into his head and he dropped like a rock. She reached out to catch him and nearly went down with him.

"Oh, my God," she groaned, easing him onto the blanket beside her. Why did Derek have to have so much muscle? "He's gonna kill me for this."

She dragged the blanket with Derek on it next to Peter's body. She grimaced at the smell of death, but like Peter, the scent was muted. When she'd unburied him, she'd been surprised he wasn't completely rotting by now. She placed Peter's hand on Derek's arm and rose, studying the sky. When the moon was in position, she uncovered one of the mirrors, which sent the moonlight bouncing to the other mirrors and eventually landing directly on Peter's body. Claws erupted from Peter's fingertips, burying themselves deeply into Derek's arm. Even though he was unconscious Derek still growled in pain. Crystal flinched.

"Oh, yeah," she muttered. "He's gonna kill me for this."

Hairs rose all over her body as the energy in the room grew palpable and funneled from Derek into Peter. It was over surprisingly quickly—as soon as the energy buzzed around them, Peter released Derek and rose from the hole they'd buried him in.

Averting her eyes from his naked body, Crystal pointed to a stack of clothes nearby. "Come on. Let's go get you cleaned up."

Peter chuckled. She smiled reflexively, delighted to hear that sound again. But the smile faded when she saw the dried blood on Derek's arm. She knelt beside him and moved his arm to his chest. Her guilt mixed with satisfaction—she loathed having to use Derek, or anyone she cared about, like this. But since it brought Peter back, she couldn't bring herself to feel too horrible. If Derek's hatred was the price she had to pay, then she'd gladly pay it.

Did that make her a horrible person, or merely selfish?

She leaned over and whispered in his ear, "I'm so sorry, Derek. I had to."

"You didn't _have _to," Peter scoffed.

Rolling her eyes but unwilling to admit he was right, she rose. "Let's go."

"No hug?"

She wrinkled her nose in disgust as she pulled out her phone to make a call. She didn't want to leave Derek all alone. "Not until you've showered. Twice."


	25. Hostage

**I made it through Hurricane Matthew, I survived midterms, and now I've FINALLY gotten around to posting the next chapter. Quick shout out to animefangirl2014 for being able to figure out why exactly Matt hates Crystal so much. Hope you like it!**

* * *

"Answer your phone before I break it."

Crystal rolled over, keeping her eyes firmly closed. "Just let it go to voicemail," she groaned, trying to ignore the ringtone going off next to her ear.

"I did. Twice. It seems Stiles is quite persistent."

She groaned again but snatched the phone from Peter's hand. "Yeah?"

"Crystal," Stiles practically yelled right in her ear. "We know who's controlling Jackson!"

She winced, straightening up. "Who?"

"It's Matt."

Now, why didn't that surprise her? "You're positive?"

"Yeah. We were at Lydia's party, and some kids got seriously drunk and started throwing people in the pool. They threw Matt in, and he was shouting that he couldn't swim. Jackson pulled him out right away, and after the party got busted, Scott saw Matt standing right next to the kanima before they just disappeared," Stiles rambled.

Crystal blinked, trying to process his words through her exhausted brain. Glancing at the time on her phone, she noticed that she hadn't even been asleep for an hour. "Does your dad know?"

"Not yet. We're on our way to my house to talk to him."

"All right. I'll be there as soon as I can." Crystal yawned widely. "See you soon."

"They found the master."

It wasn't a question, but she nodded anyway as she dragged herself out of bed. "They need me to help convince Stiles's dad that he really is the killer." It took her less time than she thought to stumble into her bathroom, splash cold water on her face, and find her keys. Luckily she hadn't bothered to change out of her clothes. "I'll see you later. There's chicken in the fridge if you want some."

"Crystal."

She paused, one foot out the door. "Yeah?"

"He's already tried to kill you once. Don't let it happen again."

"I'll be careful," she assured him, waving her pendant on its chain. "I'll call if I need you."

* * *

She reached the Stilinski house to find the boys waiting by the Jeep.

"Are you okay?" Scott asked. She frowned in confusion, so he elaborated. "You never showed up at the party."

She nodded. "I'm fine, Scott. Just had some matters to clear up." She still had to apologize to Derek, but that could wait until after she got some sleep.

"It's probably a good thing she wasn't there," Stiles said reasonably, bouncing on his feet anxiously. "Who knows what Matt might have done if he'd gotten her alone?"

Crystal smiled and waved Stiles forward. "Come on," she chuckled.

"Dad!" Stiles yelled the moment he opened the door.

"In here, Stiles." They followed the sheriff's voice to the kitchen, where he was poring over a stack of papers.

"Dad, we know who the killer is!"

The sheriff raised his eyebrows skeptically, but he rose from the table. "Really? Who?"

"I'll show you." Stiles led the way to his room. He sat at his desk and flipped through last year's high school yearbook. "Here." He picked up a red pen, circling Matt's picture so that it stood out prominently from the others.

Crystal leaned over his shoulder, reading the caption. _Matthew Daehler_. "Huh," she mused. "I didn't know that was his last name."

"Really?" Sheriff Stilinski asked in disbelief. "This kid's the real killer?"

"Yes!" Stiles waved his hand with the pen emphatically.

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Dad, come on," Stiles groaned, hopping out of his chair. "Everyone knows police always look for a way to connect the victims in a murder, right? So all he'd have to do is look through the transcripts and figure out which classes they all had in common."

"Yeah, except the rave promoter Kara wasn't in Harris's class," the sheriff told them.

"So what else did they have in common?" Crystal wondered, trying to see the connection. What had all these people done that enraged Matt enough to sic Jackson on them? And how was Isaac's father connected?

"They were all on the high school's 2006 swim team."

Crystal frowned. Matt couldn't swim. He was killing off the old swim team. Did that mean he was jealous? She brushed that absurd thought away and worked on fitting all the pieces she could into the puzzle, but she was still missing at least one large piece—actually, two; they still had no idea why Matt had tried to kill her.

"And have they dropped the charges against Harris yet?" Stiles asked.

"No, but that doesn't prove anything," the sheriff protested. "Scott, do you believe this?"

Scott nodded. "Look, it's really hard to explain how we know this, but you've got to trust us. We know it's him."

"He took Harris's car, okay? He knew that if a cop found those tire tracks at one of the murders, and if enough of the victims were in Harris's class, they'd arrest him," Stiles explained.

Crystal grimaced. She really didn't think that little bastard was so clever. "It's a good idea," she admitted. "If I were gonna kill someone, I'd probably frame Harris, too."

All three of them looked at her with raised eyebrows. "Uh, should we be worried?" Scott asked.

Stiles scoffed. "She'd be more likely to kill Harris himself. She hates him more than pretty much anybody else on the planet."

"That's true," Scott conceded.

"All right, assuming he _did _frame Harris, I'd still like a motive. Why would this kid want most of the 2006 swim team and the coach dead?"

"Isn't it obvious? Our team sucks! They haven't won in, like, six years," Stiles burst out.

Crystal laughed, shaking her head while Sheriff Stilinski rolled his eyes and Scott's lips twisted upward. "Nice try, Stiles, but I'm pretty sure that's not it."

"Okay, so we don't have a motive yet. But come on, does Harris?"

Sheriff Stilinski sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"We need to look at the evidence," Stiles told his dad.

"That would be in the station, where I no longer work," they were reminded pointedly. Crystal looked away guiltily.

"Trust me, they'll let you in."

"Trust you?" the sheriff asked incredulously.

Stiles looked over his shoulder at Crystal and Scott. Crystal held up her hands. "I think he trusts me about as much as he trusts you right now."

"Maybe a bit less, actually," Stiles's dad told her. She winced at the disappointment in his tone.

"Trust Scott?" Stiles asked weakly, hearing it too.

His dad pointed at the boy in question. "Scott, I trust."

* * *

"Let's look at the hospital stuff first," Stiles whispered.

"Why?" Scott muttered.

"Because all the murders were committed by Jackson, except for one."

"Melissa's patient," Crystal remembered.

"Her name was Jessica," Scott told her.

"I know." She just didn't want to think about the young woman right now, the one that had the same name as her own mother. _Maybe every Jessica in Beacon Hills is cursed,_ she thought darkly.

"Since Matt had to kill her himself, someone at the hospital had to have seen him, right?" Stiles continued.

"Even if no one did, there's no way I believe that brat was smart enough to avoid all the cameras," Crystal grumbled, the three of them following the sheriff into his old office. They helped retrieve all the evidence and case files, and then they watched over his shoulder as he pulled up the camera footage from that night and fast-forwarded to around the time of the murder.

Sheriff Stilinski groaned when he noticed the crowded hallways on the video. "Look at this. There was a six-car pileup that night. The hospital was jammed."

"Look, just keep going. He had to pass one of those cameras to get to Jessica," Stiles said. "He's got to be on the footage somewhere."

"Wait, hold up!" Scott exclaimed suddenly. "Did you see that?" He pointed at a small section of the screen. "Go back."

As the video was rewound slowly, the others saw what Scott had seen: a thin teenage boy with short dark hair and wearing a black leather jacket strolling down the corridor.

"That's him. That's Matt," Stiles confirmed.

"Stiles, that's just the back of someone's head," his dad told him.

"Yeah, Matt's head," Stiles insisted. "I sit behind him in history. He has a very distinct cranium."

"He also has a very distinct attitude," Crystal muttered. The sheriff raised his eyebrows in question. "He's an ass. And for some reason we still have yet to figure out, he hates me."

"I think that's just to you," Scott told her.

"Stiles doesn't like him, either," she reminded him.

The sheriff huffed, breaking into their conversation. "Stiles, are you crazy?"

Crystal didn't miss a beat. "Yes. But that's not the point right now." She smiled sweetly when Stiles whacked her on the arm.

"Okay, fine. Look at his jacket, then. How many people do you know who wear black leather jackets?"

"Millions, literally," the sheriff said dryly.

"Derek, Isaac, Erica, Boyd, Allison, Chris, Peter…pretty sure I've worn leather at some point," Crystal listed.

"Okay, you're not helping," Stiles huffed.

"I'm just saying, Stiles. We need a shot of him coming at one of the cameras, or at least a reflection," she said reasonably.

"Or someone talking to him," Scott added. "Can you keep scrolling?"

Two seconds later, they hit the jackpot. "There! There he is again."

"It's still the back of his head," the sheriff reminded them.

"But he's talking to someone." Scott leaned forward to get a clearer look at who Matt was talking to. "It's my mom."

"Call her, see if she recognizes him," Stiles urged.

Scott dialed and put it on speaker phone. "Mom."

"Hey, Scott."

"Hi, Mom. Listen, I was wondering if you remember seeing a teenager in the hospital the night of that six-car pileup about a week ago."

"Scott, do you know how many people I deal with in a single day, let alone an entire week?"

"This one's sixteen, dark hair. He looks like a normal teenager."

"He looks evil," Stiles interjected.

"He's the one you met at the game one night; you asked if he was taking pictures for the yearbook," Crystal reminded her.

"Oh, him."

"Did you see him in the hospital?" Scott asked.

"Yeah. I mean, I remember I stopped him because he was tracking mud in the hall."

Four pairs of eyes met, the significance of that little detail not lost on them. Crystal's fists clenched as loathing surged through her. Matt had killed that woman—_Jessica_—and left her innocent newborn child an orphan. Nothing that had happened to him could possibly justify that. Nobody deserved to be left alone.

Scott's arm came down gently over her shoulders. She buried her face into his shirt.

Melissa's voice sounded from the phone in his other hand. "Scott, what's going on?"

"It's nothing, Mom," he assured her. "I'll explain later. I have to go."

"Bye," Crystal said reflexively before Scott hung up the phone.

"We found shoe prints alongside the tire tracks at the trailer site," the sheriff told them, pointing to a picture in one of the files.

"If they match, that puts Matt at the scene at three of the murders—the hospital, the trailer, and the rave," Stiles said.

"Actually, four," Sheriff Stilinski corrected, flipping through another folder. He showed them a photocopy of a receipt. "A credit card receipt for an oil change was signed by one Matt Daehler at the garage where the mechanic was killed."

_Five_, Crystal thought. He'd been at the lacrosse game the night she was attacked in the pool.

"When?" Stiles asked.

"A couple hours before you two got there."

"All right, Dad. If one's an incident, two's a coincidence, and three's a pattern, what's four?"

The sheriff rose from his chair. "Four's enough for a warrant." He turned to Scott. "Call your mom back and see how fast she can get here. If I can get an official I.D., I can get a search warrant." Scott nodded and pulled out his phone. The sheriff pointed to Stiles. "Go to the front desk and tell them to let Scott's mom in when she gets here."

"On it." Stiles hightailed it out of the room.

Crystal smiled at the sheriff. "You must be proud."

"What do you mean?"

"Stiles is good at solving mysteries. Just like his father."

"I'd be a lot prouder if he didn't go behind my back." But the sheriff was smiling, too.

"Okay, we'll see you soon." Scott hung up the phone. "Mom's on her way."

Crystal was still watching the sheriff, so she saw the instant the smile slid off his face to be replaced by a wary expression. "Sheriff?"

She and Scott looked at the doorway, and she stiffened dangerously. Stiles was walking into the room slowly, so unlike the way he normally would that she knew something was wrong even before she registered the figure behind him.

Matt stood there, a gun pointed directly at her friend.

An inferno raged through her blood, made worse by the fact that she knew it was impossible for anyone to get to them before Matt shot Stiles. And he would. There was a dangerous glint in his eyes that told her he'd _enjoy_ shooting Stiles.

"It's Matt, right? Matt, whatever's going on right now, I can guarantee there's a solution here that doesn't involve a gun," the sheriff assured him calmly.

Matt grinned sickly, even as he shoved Stiles toward them with the barrel of the gun. "You know, it's funny you said that, because you have no idea just how right you are."

"I know you don't want to hurt people."

"Yes, I do. I want to hurt a lot of people. Including her." Matt aimed the gun at Crystal, causing her heart to skip a beat before it pounded frantically. She faintly heard the sheriff trying to talk Matt down. Reminding herself to breathe, she pulled her eyes away from the barrel and focused on the one holding it, studying him for any sign he was about to pull the trigger. "The three of you weren't on my list," he added, gesturing to the boys behind her. "But I could be persuaded." His face twisted into a scowl. "And one way to do that is to try calling someone on your cell phone like McCall is doing. That could _definitely _get someone hurt."

At Matt's direction, they all pulled their cell phones out and put them on the sheriff's desk. Hopefully Matt didn't realize that Crystal didn't need a phone to call for help. She doubted there would be enough time to pass her silent SOS along to one person, let alone three, before Matt realized something was going on.

But there was another way, she remembered, hand reaching up to play with her necklace subtly as Matt forced them toward the holding cells. When Matt was distracted with making sure Stiles tightened the cuffs on the sheriff's wrist, Crystal made sure she was hidden behind Scott just enough to bring the pendant up to her mouth.

* * *

All across Beacon Hills, only four people reacted when Crystal's "howl" reached their ears.

In the station, Crystal Braddock gazed in wonder at the necklace in her hand. The howl was _loud_, loud enough that she swore everyone else could hear it. But they didn't. Not even Scott with his werewolf ears reacted. Giddiness welled up inside her for an instant. She had the perfect secret weapon. She looked up and found Matt right in front of her, gun pointed at her head, and the faint smile died a sudden death. She just hoped someone could reach them before anyone else was killed tonight.

Peter Hale's head twisted unerringly in the direction of the sheriff's station. He rolled his eyes—lately she always seemed to find herself in trouble—even as his claws and fangs itched to burst forth. Crystal was capable of taking care of herself. She would only call like that if she were truly in danger. He silently dropped from Crystal's window and started running the moment his feet hit the ground, making sure to keep out of sight.

Chris Argent was cleaning and reloading his weapons, but he hesitated when what sounded like a wolf howl reached his ears. Somehow he knew exactly who the howl belonged to. But she wasn't a wolf, so how could she howl from that far away? And how could he hear it? As those questions ran through his head, he grabbed his keys and his gun. But when he opened the basement door, he was stopped by Gerard and his own daughter. There was a cold, determined expression on Allison's face that broke his heart. He wondered how long it would be before he lost her just like he'd lost everyone else.

Derek Hale was already driving to Scott's house, but when he heard Crystal's cry for help he turned in the direction of the station and sped up. His fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly as his eyes blazed. Something was wrong. He was going to rip the kanima and the master to pieces. They were the only ones who could possibly terrify Crystal enough to make her use her whistle to call him like this.

And after he dealt with the kanima and its master, he was going to wring Crystal Braddock's neck.

* * *

Crystal sat stiffly in tense silence as Scott and Stiles destroyed all the evidence connecting Matt to the murders. Every few seconds they glanced up to make sure that she was okay, that Matt hadn't pulled the trigger. Matt held the gun barely an inch from her temple; he'd promised that if she so much as twitched, he'd kill her. She didn't doubt him. She'd seen the bodies of the four deputies.

She couldn't even mentally call for help. The son of a bitch had taken her necklace from her and thrown it into a holding cell.

He chuckled darkly. "You know, I kind of enjoy this," he said. "You, cowering in fear. How does it feel knowing you're completely helpless against me?" He brushed a curl away from her face with the barrel. She inhaled sharply, trembling with the frantic pounding of her heart, but she didn't cry. She refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.

"And you can't call for help," he continued.

"I to—" She bit her tongue when he pressed the gun roughly to her temple.

"What was that?"

"It's done," Stiles said abruptly, pulling Matt's attention away from her for the moment. "So, since all the people you brutally murdered deserved it because they killed you first—whatever that means, and it still doesn't explain why you want Crystal dead—we're good here, right?"

"No," Matt snarled.

"Why do you want to kill my sister?" Scott asked.

Before Matt could reply, headlights shined through the window. Crystal hoped it was either Peter or Derek.

Matt grinned, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Sounds like your mom's here, McCall. Or is it Braddock's boyfriend?"

"Matt, please don't," Scott pleaded. "When she gets to the door we'll just tell her to leave. We'll tell her we didn't find anything."

"If you don't move right now, I'll kill Crystal first, then Stiles, then your mom."

Crystal physically bit her tongue to remain silent, but anger overwhelmed her, drowning out her fear and self-preservation. How dare he threaten Melissa and Stiles? She leveled a deadly glare at their captor when he moved in front of her. Instead of cowering, he sneered and forced the three of them to the door.

"Open it."

Scott reluctantly opened the door, and Crystal's heart leaped when she saw it was Derek.

"Oh, thank God," Stiles sighed.

Their happiness was short-lived. Derek pitched forward and fell to the floor, revealing Jackson behind him.

"Derek!" Crystal made to catch him, but Matt waved the gun in her direction and she backed up, putting herself right next to Stiles.

"This kid's the one controlling the kanima?" Derek growled in disbelief after Jackson flipped Derek over to face the ceiling. Matt crouched next to him, his back to the others.

"I know, it's ridiculous," Crystal muttered just loud enough for Derek and Scott to hear her as she sagged in relief. Tears that she'd worked so hard to restrain fell down her cheeks. Scott crept to her side, careful not to draw Matt's notice, and held his hand out to her. She grabbed it tightly.

"Well, Derek, not all of us are lucky enough to be the big bad werewolf," Matt said. Crystal couldn't see Derek's expression, but something must have given away his surprise. She also wondered how Matt knew about werewolves, but she was much more interested in getting the gun far enough away from him so she could punch his smug face, and then beat the crap out of him for everything he'd done.

"Oh, yeah, that's right." Matt nodded. "I've learned a few things lately. Werewolves, kanimas, hunters—it's like a freakin' Halloween party every full moon. Except for you." He looked up at Stiles and Crystal, glaring only slightly when he saw her hand in Scott's. "What do you turn into, Stiles? I already know Crystal becomes a cruel bitch who turns her back on her friends."

What the _hell_ was he talking about? Her confusion enraged Matt. He stomped over to her and practically roared, "Allison!"

Her mind went blank for a split second before the pieces fell into place, and she fought back an enraged scream. _Are you _kidding _me?!_ He wanted her dead because she got into a fight with Allison?

"Actually, she turns into your worst nightmare. It's a pretty regular thing. Mine's more of a wintertime thing," Stiles rambled, drawing Crystal's attention back to the situation at hand and getting Matt's focus off her once again.

"What, you turn into Santa Claus?" Matt scoffed.

"No, the Abominable Snowman."

Stiles's flippant response made Crystal's lips twitch and infuriated Matt. He glanced at Jackson; claws rose and fell twice, and Stiles swayed before he landed on top of Derek.

"Bitch," Stiles groaned.

Crystal would have caught him, but Jackson's more forceful second attack brought her to her knees. She could feel the venom in her neck trying to infect her, but something else inside her was burning the toxin away. In mere moments the burning sensation faded, allowing Crystal to rise to her feet as if nothing had happened.

Matt stared at her in disbelief. "What the hell?"

"Guess you missed the memo; kanima venom doesn't work on me anymore." Crystal smirked. It might have been better if she'd pretended to be paralyzed, but she refused to give that little bastard any more satisfaction at her helplessness—

Something moved out of the corner of her eye, and before she even had time to process the movement, she was flying across the room.

* * *

Crystal hit the wall with a sharp thud and slid to the floor, unconscious. Scott paled and tried to rush to her side, but Matt pointed the gun right in his face to stop him.

"Is she okay?" Stiles asked worriedly.

"She's alive," Derek growled.

Light through the window caught Matt's attention and Scott's stomach knotted with dread. He prayed that it wasn't his mom. He couldn't let Matt anywhere near her—

"Is that her?" Matt asked angrily, the gun still pointed at Scott. "Do what I tell you and I won't hurt her."

Jackson prowled in the corner of the room near Crystal.

"Scott, don't listen to him!" Stiles cried.

Furious, Matt pulled Stiles off of Derek and rolled him over. He pressed down on Stiles's throat with his foot, cutting off his air.

"Stop, okay? I'll do it, just stop!" Scott cried, watching helplessly as his best friend turned red. Matt took his foot off after another few seconds, and Stiles gasped for precious air. Scott made sure Stiles was all right while Matt ordered Jackson to take Derek and Stiles into another room close by and lock Crystal in the cells.

Matt forced Scott out of the room, but he could still hear Stiles.

"Man, he's so damn lucky Crystal's knocked out."

"_Crystal's _lucky she's knocked out," Derek bit back. "She would have got herself killed."

* * *

A gunshot and a feminine scream jolted her awake. She sat up quickly, but her head spun and she had to take several breaths before her vision returned to normal.

"Scott! Stiles!" the sheriff cried. "What happened?"

She looked around. She was locked in a holding cell, separated from everyone else.

"Crystal, you okay?"

She rose shakily and peered through the bars at the sheriff. "Yeah, I'm fine. What just happened?"

"Someone's been shot."

She paled as she recalled the feminine scream. "Melissa?!"

The sheriff blanched. "Wait, Melissa's here?"

"I'm pretty sure that was her screaming."

"Matt!" the sheriff hollered. "Listen to me!"

"Shut up!" Matt screamed loud enough for them to hear.

"I'm gonna kill him," Crystal muttered. "I'll wring his scrawny little neck and then I'm going to take that gun and shove it so far up his—"

"Crystal," the sheriff warned.

She heard the sobs right before Melissa, Matt and Scott rounded the corner. Melissa was crying and trembling from head to toe, but to Crystal's immense relief, there didn't seem to be any blood on her. Scott was hunched over a little, covering his side. Crystal's eyes narrowed sharply at the red on his shirt.

"Oh, you are a _dead man_," she growled.

Matt sneered at her. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

"You have no idea." She watched helplessly as Matt shoved Melissa into the holding cell next to hers.

"Please," Melissa moaned as he made Scott locked the cell. "He needs to see a doctor."

"You think so?" Matt laughed.

The sheriff stepped forward angrily as far as the cuffs would allow him. "All right, you listen to me—"

"It's all right," Scott tried to reassure them. "I'm all right."

"No, honey, you're not alright," Melissa sobbed.

Crystal glared at Matt. "Hey, Melissa, he's gonna be okay."

"It doesn't hurt," Scott added.

"That's because of all the adrenaline."

"Melissa, that's not—"

Melissa pleaded with Matt over Crystal's murmured words. "Please, let me just—just take a look at him, okay? I can help stop the bleeding."

Matt stared at Melissa. "They have no idea, do they?" he asked Scott, laughter dripping with derision.

"Please, I just need to look at it for one second—"

"_Shut up_!" Matt screamed, waving the gun in the air. "Lady, if you say one more word the next bullet goes in his head."

Crystal's vision turned red, inflamed by the fact that she couldn't do _anything _to stop Matt from hurting the people she cared about, and she got as close to him as the bars would allow. She didn't say anything, but she channeled all her hatred and her desire to see him writhing in agonizing pain into her gaze.

"Back to the front, McCall," Matt demanded.

Scott looked at them anxiously. Crystal nodded once, and reluctantly he left the room with Matt close behind.

The moment they were gone, Crystal whirled to pace the cage angrily and Melissa began sobbing.

"What does he want?" Melissa asked.

"That's a good question. He already made the boys destroy all the evidence, so what else could he want?" Crystal's foot knocked into something, and she bent to see what it was. Her face twisted into a satisfied grin. Excellent. Maybe she wasn't so helpless after all.

Fisting her necklace tightly, she resumed her furious, anxious pacing and focused her thoughts on one of the few people who could possibly get them out of this mess.

* * *

"She wants the bestiary."

"That's not from Crystal," Allison assured him. "She never would have texted me about the bestiary. And she definitely wouldn't have mentioned Derek."

Anger flared at the mention of Derek's name, but concern buried it. Chris hid his worried frown expertly. If Crystal wasn't texting Allison, it meant someone else who knew about the supernatural had her phone. And he'd had a strange feeling that Crystal was in trouble for a while now.

Gerard was also reading the text. "The sheriff's station?"

"If Derek's there, I doubt it's willingly."

"It's not." Only years of training kept Chris from reacting when the unexpected voice spoke from right beside him. "Chris, it's really important that you don't speak to me out loud. I'll be able to hear your thoughts," Crystal added hurriedly.

"You think Jackson's there, too?" Allison wondered.

"Maybe." A piece of the puzzle slid into place. "Maybe him and the one who's controlling him." _Is the kanima master with you?_

"Yes. His name is Matt, he's sixteen, he's got several of us trapped in the station, and he has a thing for your daughter."

Chris went over to his collection of maps as she spoke, but when she mentioned Allison he hesitated. _What?_ He thought coldly.

Crystal moved so he could see her without turning his head. She had a disgusted expression on her face, but her voice shook. "Yeah. He wants me dead because I hated her for a while."

Chris slammed the drawer harder than he probably should have and carried the map over to the table.

"Please, Chris," she begged. "Help us."

_We will. Where are you?_

"Thank you. I'm in the holding cells with the sheriff and Melissa. Scott's with Matt; I don't know where Jackson, Stiles and Derek are."

"How many do they keep on the night shift?" Gerard asked.

"Since budget cuts, maybe four at most. My guess is they're all either dead or paralyzed," Chris told him.

"What are you talking about?" Crystal asked, walking through the table and back to his side. It was a jolting reminder that she wasn't really there, even though she looked completely solid.

_How many deputies are at the station?_

"Four. But they're all dead."

"This might be the confluence of events we've been waiting for," Gerard mused, pulling Chris's attention away from Crystal.

"Or a conflagration," he countered.

"I'm open to both," Gerard said genially.

"What do we do?" Allison asked.

The sick feeling that had started brewing within him the night his sister died, the one that had only grown with each passing day Gerard and the kanima were in town and nearly overwhelmed him when he found out Victoria had been bitten, now threatened to consume him as Gerard turned to Allison and said, "You tell us. That authority falls to you now."

"Not at her age," Chris argued immediately.

Gerard dismissed his objection. "She's almost eighteen. She knows there's a difference between revenge and retribution. Don't you, Allison?"

Chris's heart tightened painfully. Revenge and retribution looked exactly the same when you were personally involved.

"Make the decision from a vantage point of strategy over emotion, and we'll follow your lead," Gerard continued.

"Chris, what's going on?" Crystal asked softly.

"I want Derek dead," Allison said almost immediately.

_You need to get Derek out as fast as you can,_ Chris thought. _Allison wants him dead._

Crystal's head fell, but she nodded. "You don't?"

"What about Scott and Crystal?" he asked, ignoring the blonde's question and distracting her at the same time.

"Scott's not the one who forced my mother to kill herself," Allison objected. "And Crystal isn't a werewolf."

"But he's not exactly an innocent bystander, either." If Scott hadn't been in trouble, Derek might never have gone near Victoria. "Crystal might not be pack friend anymore, but they grew up together. If you kill Derek she'll come after you, and if you kill her Derek will hunt you down. I'm also not sure Scott would appreciate you killing his adopted sister."

"Chris!" the girl in question cried, appalled. "What are you doing?"

He was trying to make Allison see that killing Derek wasn't going to solve anything. It wouldn't bring Victoria back. It wouldn't make Allison feel better. All it would do was turn his daughter into a killer.

"I'm prioritizing. The priority right now is Derek."

_Derek_. Not the kanima, not the one controlling it—Derek.

"What about the others? His pack? Crystal?"

"If they try to stop us, then we kill them." Allison met Gerard's eyes, then her father's. Chris's already constricted heart sank at the icy look she gave him. "All of them."

"Chris! Answer me, damn it!"

He turned away from Gerard and his daughter and faced Crystal. _Make sure Allison doesn't find Derek, or you_,he thought coldly.

Seeing that was all she was going to get, she nodded. "Be careful. Matt's dangerous," she warned before disappearing between one breath and the next.

A sixteen year old was nowhere near as dangerous as Gerard. Chris glanced up at his daughter, who was preparing for the mission with Gerard's help.

_I'm losing her_.

* * *

Crystal turned in her cell, trying to wrap her mind over everything she'd heard from Chris and trying to piece the rest of the situation together. Allison wanted Derek dead, which meant she didn't know the full story behind her mother's death. Was Allison the leader now, or was Gerard using her to keep Chris in check?

One thing was certain: she had to get Derek out, fast.

Because Chris was deadly serious when he warned her not to let Allison find either of them. It terrified her to think that Allison, her brother's sweet, innocent girlfriend, could ever become the next Kate. Her own harsh words played in her head: _Nobody could _possibly_ use her for their own gain…That's going to be your excuse? "I didn't know"?_

But this time, maybe Allison really didn't know. Last time she'd seen Crystal and Derek tied up. This time…who knew what kind of thoughts Gerard had planted so subtly, so insidiously, in her head?

Crystal's head throbbed sharply. She sat down and rested her head between her knees, trying to collect her thoughts. Matt and Jackson first, and then she could worry about Gerard and Allison.

"Crystal?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," she muttered, but loud enough for the sheriff and Melissa to hear.

"Were you talking to Chris Argent?"

She hummed. "Yeah, I guess you could say that. Help's coming, but I don't know how long it'll take." Knowing the Argents, she guessed they had no more than an hour before the station was overrun with hunters. Which meant she had less than an hour to make sure Derek got out safely.

She took a deep breath and focused on Derek. Between one breath and another, he appeared in front of her. She slid over to him. Before she even spoke, his eyes caught hers and shined a dangerous Alpha red. She flinched.

Oh, boy_._ This would be interesting.

* * *

"He's gonna kill all of us when he gets that book, isn't he?"

"Yep." The ever-present anger flared again at his helplessness.

"So, what? We just—just sit here and wait for him to kill us?"

"Unless I can push the toxin out of my body faster." He willed his claws to shoot out and he started digging them into his legs as deep as they would go.

"Oh, that is _so_ gross," Stiles mumbled.

Derek felt someone moving toward him, and he looked up. His vision turned red for a split second when he saw that it was Crystal beside him. She flinched.

"What are you doing here?" he snarled.

_I'm here to warn you. _Her voice echoed in his ears, even though he could see her lips weren't moving.

"Why would I believe _anything_—"

_Derek, I know you're angry at me, but please just listen to me. After we get out of here you can yell at me, strangle me, rip me to shreds if you want—but right now we've got bigger problems. _It sounded like she was working to keep her voice from shaking.

"Who are you talking to?" Stiles whispered.

"Crystal," Derek growled.

"Wait, Crystal's _here_?"

Derek frowned. "You can't see her?"

_Is Stiles with you? Is he okay? What about Scott?_

"Stiles is fine. Scott's with Matt, but he's still alive."

Crystal sagged in relief. _Oh, thank God._

"You said we had bigger problems," he prompted her.

_The Argents are coming, and they're after you._

"How do you know?"

_Chris. _She showed him the pendant clenched tightly in her hand. _I used the necklace to connect to him and he told me to get you out of here as fast as possible, because Allison wants you dead._

Derek scoffed. "And you don't?"

Crystal frowned at him. _No, Derek. I may have been angry with you, but I never wanted you dead._ She laughed suddenly, but it held no humor. _And now the tables are turned._

"What's she saying? Is my dad all right?" Stiles asked anxiously.

Derek rolled his eyes but relayed the message. "Stiles wants to know if his dad's okay."

_We're fine. Melissa's still pretty shaken, but other than that we're okay._

"They're fine."

Stiles sighed in relief.

Crystal's free hand reached out and brushed his, which came as a surprise. He wasn't expecting her to be solid enough to touch him.

_Sorry. Can I help?_

"Why should I trust you after what you did?" he muttered softly.

Her lips twitched. _Believe me, if it weren't serious, I would probably be avoiding you until you either hunted me down or calmed down enough for me to talk to you. I might still do that, actually. _Her tone lost all humor. _But it _is _serious, Derek. We need to get the venom out of your system as fast as possible, and then you need to get out of here._

As reluctant as he was to admit it, Crystal had a point. If the Argents _were _coming to kill him—and he didn't think Crystal had a good enough reason to lie about that—then he wasn't going to make it easy for them. "How long?"

_If my guess is correct, we have less than an hour._

"Is she still here?" Stiles wondered.

"Yeah. She says the Argents are coming; they'll probably be here in less than an hour."

He knew, without even looking, that the boy's eyes were wide.

Crystal's hand brushed his again hesitantly. _May I?_

"Yeah," he mumbled. She fastened her necklace around her neck so she could use both hands to force his claws deeper into his leg. She grimaced in disgust but did the same thing with the other arm.

_So what have I missed?_

"He wants the bestiary. He thinks it'll help stop him from turning into a kanima."

Crystal's mouth dropped in surprise. "He's turning into a kanima?"

Derek noticed that when she spoke out loud, her voice became clearer and lost its faint echoing. "Yep."

_How?_

"He disrupted the balance."

It took her a moment, but then she nodded in understanding. _He used Jackson to kill innocent people, and he killed an innocent himself. And because he tilted the scales—_

"Nature's tipping them back," Derek finished.

She nodded again and crossed her legs, quietly playing with her necklace. For a brief moment Derek forgot about the fact that she'd used him to resurrect his dead uncle mere hours earlier; she was just pack friend.

_Pack friend. _Those two words brought him back to the harsh reality. Was she really pack friend anymore, after what she did?

Crystal's fingers stopped moving. Her eyes dropped to the pendant—which he hadn't even realized he was glaring at—and a stricken expression crossed her face before she undid the clasp slowly.

"Do you want it back?" she whispered, startling him.

She loved that necklace. She'd fought him for that necklace, for that link to the Hale pack, to their former lives. And now she was willing to hand it over? Did that mean she was cutting all ties with him and his pack, or was she trying to apologize?

For once, he was thankful when Stiles spoke. "Is that hypothetical situation we talked about getting any less hypothetical?"

"I don't know," he said, answering both questions at once. He thought he felt some movement in his feet. "I can move my toes."

Crystal smiled weakly. "Well, that's something."

Stiles huffed. "Dude, I can move my toes."

* * *

Crystal would never admit that she panicked when the lights went out.

"Derek, hurry!" she cried. _They're here!_

She had no idea how long it had been since she'd talked to Chris, but she was pretty sure it was less than half an hour ago. What if Derek didn't get the venom out before they found him? Would Gerard cut him in half, like he did with the omega? Or would Allison be the one who—

Crystal shuddered. She looked down at where she'd last seen Derek and inhaled sharply. Of course. She'd dropped the connection, and she couldn't focus enough to get it back, even if they had the time.

Gunfire erupted outside. Crystal slammed her hands against the bars fruitlessly, wishing she had a bobby pin. Or the keys.

"What's going on?" the sheriff demanded, trying to gain enough leverage to yank the bar away from the wall.

"Help's arrived," she said darkly.

* * *

Peter stuck to the shadows and watched the Argents toss smoke grenades into the station. He estimated it would take ten to fifteen minutes for the kanima master to flee; the station wasn't that big, and there weren't many places to hide. It was just a question of _where _he would run off to. If Peter could get to him in time, he could rip the little brat to shreds himself.

He shook his head. No, this wasn't his fight. Not yet. He wasn't going to risk dying again just to kill a teenager. Not when he had someone else who would do it for him.

He turned his sly blue eyes to the eldest Argent.

* * *

Crystal snarled from her cell when Matt barreled in and punched Stiles's dad hard enough across the face to knock him out.

"Matt," Melissa begged weakly. "Matt, please listen to me. My son's been shot, and I heard other gunfire and I don't know what's happening, but please, will you just let me see my son?"

"Melissa, Scott's okay," Crystal said in barely more than a whisper, knowing Melissa would never believe her until she saw Scott healed with her own eyes.

"How totally clueless are you people?" Matt raged.

"Hey!" Crystal screeched. "Don't you _dare_ talk to her like that!"

Matt turned to snap at her, but a rough growl came from the corner. Everyone looked up. Crystal grinned at the sight of a fully shifted Derek, with pointed ears and fangs and glowing red Alpha eyes. He glanced over to the other side of the room. Crystal's good mood dropped when she followed his gaze and saw the kanima standing there.

"Be careful, Derek," she whispered. She stepped as far away from the bars as she could when they began fighting, just in case the kanima tried to use her as a distraction. Her heart thrummed rapidly in her chest but she stayed quiet and watched—until the kanima tossed Derek into the wall near her hard enough to hear bone crack. He fell to the floor, clutching his side.

She crouched by the bars, stretching out her hand. "Derek? You okay?"

"Cracked rib," he hissed. "I'll be fine."

"Can you get these bars open?"

The kanima hissed. They looked over and Crystal leaped up in a rage. "Get away from her!" she roared, channeling some of the anger and terror that had built up inside her during the last few hours.

The kanima was hanging on the bars of Melissa's cell, terrorizing the woman inside. It hissed and turned its head toward Crystal, and then Scott was there, burying his claws into the kanima's back. The kanima screeched and retreated. Derek pulled himself up and went after it, leaving Crystal locked in the cell. She scowled. Of course.

"Scott? Scott, are you okay?" Melissa sobbed.

Scott rose slowly and turned around, showing his mother his werewolf features for the first time. Crystal's heart broke when Melissa started crying and backing away from her son.

"Scott, I need you to get me out of here," she said. "I need to make sure Stiles is okay." And she wanted to make sure Matt couldn't get away. He must have taken off while Derek and the kanima were fighting—but he wouldn't get away from her. "Please."

Scott hesitated but finally approached the bars and snapped the lock off. Crystal pushed the door open, a strange sense of disbelief filling her as she realized that she wasn't trapped anymore. She didn't have to just sit back and watch her friends and family get hurt. A savage grin nearly split her face in half. Scott was already going down the hall Derek had come from, so Crystal turned the other way—and she froze.

"Stiles."

"Is my dad okay?"

She threw herself beside him and helped him into a sitting position. "Are _you _okay?"

Light brown eyes met green fearfully. "I need to know if my dad's okay."

"Tell you what, I'll help you over there and you can see for yourself," she hedged, feeling rather guilty that she hadn't thought to check on the sheriff. When Stiles nodded, she helped him stand. Melissa gasped when she saw Stiles.

"Stiles? What happened?"

"It's a long story," Stiles told her. Crystal made sure he was propped up against the wall before she checked the sheriff's pulse. When she found the steady beat, she nodded.

"He's alive. Just unconscious."

"Oh, thank God," Stiles sighed.

"Are you okay?" Crystal asked again, stretching the sheriff's arm out so Stiles could clutch his dad's hand.

He nodded jerkily. "Yeah. The venom's starting to wear off, I can move my arms and I can sort of feel my legs again."

"Okay. I'll be right back." She waited for Stiles to nod before she made a dash for the hall.

"Crystal!" Melissa screamed, but Crystal kept running.

* * *

Peter was waiting for her.

He stepped from the shadows as she passed his hiding place and grabbed her by the arm. His hand came up to cover her surprised shriek. He raised a finger to his lips. She huffed but nodded, and he released her.

"Where have you been?" she snapped. "We could have died in there!"

Yes, and that irked him. He wasn't close to being back to full strength, and he wasn't about to go up against a kanima on his own even if he was. "I told you to stay away from him."

"It's not my fault Matt's a freaking psychopath," she replied. Her voice shook with so many different pent up emotions that Peter was surprised she hadn't already started screaming at him.

He jerked his head toward the river. "Come on. I saw him run this way."

"And you didn't try to stop him?"

He smirked. No, but someone else would. He and Crystal moved in near-silence. He was quite impressed that she remembered the tricks he'd taught her. Soon they reached the top of the hill, where they had a perfect view.

He had to wrap his arms around her tightly to keep her from running forward when she saw Gerard holding Matt underwater. One hand went up to cover her mouth as she gasped.

"Do you want him to hear you?" he hissed. "He won't think twice about killing us if he knows we're here."

She stilled, but he could tell she was still angry and a little horrified. He didn't let go of her until Gerard released the body and it started drifting downstream. He was pleased that Gerard had played his part, that the child that dared threaten Crystal was dead, even if it hadn't been by Peter's hand. That took the kanima master out of the picture; now all they had to do was deal with the kanima, and then—

Gerard looked at something underneath the bridge. "No longer afraid of the water, are you? Well, you don't have to be afraid of anything anymore. Especially me." He held out his hand, and the kanima crawled out from under the bridge.

Peter didn't like admitting to anyone that he screwed up, not even himself, but that's exactly what happened. He'd let Gerard kill the kanima's master, allowing Gerard to become the kanima master in turn. He had just given one of the most dangerous hunters the most deadly weapon of all.

Crystal stared up at him, her face pale and confused. He reached for her hand and together they ran on silent feet. They didn't stop running until they'd reached the parking lot.

"Peter…what just happened?" she asked hesitantly.

"Gerard controls the kanima now."

Her already pale face went stark white in an instant. "So, on a scale of one to dead, how screwed does that make us?"

"Let's put it this way: either we find a way to stop Gerard and Jackson, or we all die."


End file.
